Dance With the Devil: Wrong Turn 2
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: Five months after escaping the "Mountain Men", Jessie and Chris are ready to put what happened behind them. But, when Jessie's little sister gets into deadly trouble, Jessie and Chris will have to face the woods again. (Completed)
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: The characters from "Wrong Turn" don't belong to me but the Burlingame family and friends do. 

A/N: Since my first W.T. fic ("Lie to Me") was so popular, I figured I owed it to my public to do a W.T. sequel. So, here it is, by demand, another Wrong Turn story. I'm planning on writing perhaps a fic to follow this one (making it a trilogy of sorts, including the first movie) so, whatever happens in this one, don't hate me I have a plan. So, enough small talk, I hope everyone enjoys this story and the more reviews I get, the more chapters I will post. So please, review and enjoy! 

Chapter One

Unnecessary Stress 

The picture depicted a life that Jessie Burlingame didn't recognize anymore. The still photo showed the girl that she had once been, laughing in a park with people she had once known at a joke she had once heard in a life she had once led. As she stared at the framed picture for perhaps the hundredth time that afternoon -as she stared at it every morning when she got ready and every night before she went to bed- Jessie wondered where her idealistic picture perfect life had vanished off to. Though, that question was more rhetorical then anything for she knew exactly where her life had split and turned her into the stony, armored woman that she was now: the ill-fated camping trip she had taken with her now late friends. The same friends that she had watch get slaughtered, killed because she was selfish enough to let her friends baby her and whisk her away to the West Virginia woods to begin a "healing" process. 

As hard as it was to believe, Jessie forced herself to believe that one good thing had stemmed from the horrible expedition; not that she was the sort of girl that believed in the silver-lining bullshit but this was one lining impossible to ignore. That lining would be none of then Chris Flynn, doctor and life-saving hero; her boyfriend since that horrid trip, the man she had fallen in love with the very day she had sworn off love for the rest of her life. Chris Flynn, her very own knight in shining armor. 

Taking her thoughts away from the woods and what had happened there (as she always referred to it), Jessie turned back to the task of drying and styling her hair. She rarely spent more then ten minutes on her hair except for on special occasions, which validated why she had suddenly become her own personal hairdresser. 

Jessie had rarely dated a guy for more then two months and, in turn, had forgotten the horrifying ritual that came about after the fifth month: the much dreaded meet the parents dinner. And it was that dinner that had her slaving over her hair and slightly tripping down memory line. 

For a good three weeks, Ms. Molly Burlingame, good but overbearing mother to Jessie and her two siblings, had been pressing her eldest daughter to bring the new love of her life to the Burlingame residence for approval. Jessie had finally relented and agreed to bring Christ to meet her parents, brother and sister, simply to get the whole thing over with. It didn't matter to her whether her family liked Chris; however, she seemed to be stressing a great deal over something she pretended not to care about. 

It seemed that she was the only one worried about the impending dinner. Chris, who had gotten dressed just as he always did, was sitting in the living room waiting for her to come to her sense so they could leave. 

Jessie paused and studied her reflection in the foggy mirror and frowned; for all her primping and fussing she looked the same as she always did. And who was she really dressing up for? Her parents, her siblings, Chris? They had all seen her at her best and worst, so what was she so worked up about? Perhaps it was the fact that her mother had made sure that her older brother, Jacob, who lived about four hours away would be at the dinner that night. But then again, it was just her teddy bear big brother, not the president. 

With a decisive sigh, she clicked off the hair dryer, tossed her towel away and slipped into her favorite pair of blue jeans and the red top Carly had given her for her birthday two years ago, deciding against the strapless dress she had originally chosen. With a final glance at her reflection, Jessie shut off the bathroom light and stepped out of the humid room. 

The apartment she and Chris had shared for the past two months was small, which made for a quick journey from the bathroom, through the bedroom it was connected to and into the living room, where Chris was studying one his medical texts instead of channel surfing. "All right, I'm finally ready." Jessie remarked, wondering what Chris would say about her appearance after she had holed up in the bathroom for almost an hour. 

Chris turned around to face her, a smile flickering upon his face. "You look beautiful." He told her, setting his book aside and standing. He cupped her head in his hand when he reached her and gently kissed her lips, lightly brushing aside a lock of her still wet hair. "I don't know why you were so worried about getting ready." Chris remarked, a question she had asked herself only minutes earlier. 

Jessie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I guess it's because you're the first boy I've ever brought home to my parents. I just want to make sure everything is perfect." She answered, feeling slightly foolish and not quite sure why. She did want everything to be perfect, but did she really think feathered hair and a velvet dress would do that? 

"Don't worry, Jess, I'm sure that your parents won't find a flaw about me." Chris assured her, not sounding the least bit cocky or egotistical. "After all, if you've never brought another boyfriend home, then they'll have nothing to compare me to." Jessie rolled her eyes and gamely punched him in the arm. 

"Ha, funny. We've wasted enough time, let's get going." Jessie commanded, treading her arm with Chris' and headed toward the front door with her boyfriend in tow. 

* * * 

Jessie and Chris' apartment lay on the outskirts of the city of Raleigh, where they had moved five months ago (_after what happened in the woods _Jessie reminded herself) when Dr. Tyler Keller had excepted Chris into his medical office. Apartments closer to the country were cheaper then those in the city, but Jessie still hadn't been too happy about the location, for it was closer to the Appalachian woods then she would have liked. Living in Raleigh was too close to what had happened five months ago, but she had wanted to be with Chris and the position at Dr. Keller's was one of the best. She had grown up in Raleigh, where her parents still lived and she had often gone camping with her brother and father and it had been one of her favorite past times. Now she couldn't even stand to hear the word 'camping.' _Oh, the irony of the world. _Jessie thought to herself as she sat silently in the passenger seat, watching the city zip by. 

The drive to the Burlingame residence was a short one, barely giving her the chance to brief Chris about her families strange traits and quirks. "My brother, Jacob, is really protective of me and he hates being called Jake, or Jakey, or anything other then Jacob. I'm still my father's little girl even though he has my sister to fawn over and he's where Jacob gets his protectiveness from. He's also an ex-military officer so be prepared for war stories." Jessie paused to look over at Chris, who nodded to show that he was listening. 

"My mother is really sweet but be ready for the three-degree, but you should past her third degree rather quickly since you're a doctor. My little sister Sadie will be the person to give you the least amount of trouble; we're ten years apart so she always looked up to me, so she'll know right away that you're a good guy if I say you are." She continued, feeling a soft spot for everyone in her family as she spoke about them. Especially, her sister Sadie, whom she had always gotten along with the best despite their drastic age difference; she had always been the sort of sister that loved having a shadow and only wished that she and Sadie were closer in age. 

Chris smiled slightly at her once more. "I'll be sure to remember everything." He remarked, making it clear that he still thought she was over-reacting. "Everything will be just fine, Jessie, trust me." His blue eyes were full of promise and assurance, which instantly made her feel much better.

"One last thing," Jessie began, the last topic suddenly dawning upon her. "If my mom or dad ask about what happened in the woods, just tell them that a bunch of rednecks were bothering my friends and I, and they got a little out of hand and killed Carly and everyone and would have killed me if you hadn't come along. That's what I've always told them." 

Chris' smile disappeared slightly, hearing the pain in Jessie's voice as she spoke about the incidents in the woods five months ago; making up a fictional story to soften the events obviously didn't have the same affect on his girlfriend. He doubted anything could ever take away the pain and terror of what had happened five months ago, though he was going to try his hardest to make sure that nothing like that ever happened again to Jessie. "Got it." He said, feeling as though he was playing a false hero's role that Jessie always gave to him. She was just as much a hero as he was, but she never gave herself credit.

Following Jessie's directions, Chris soon navigated his car into the driveway of the Burlingame residence. Even before Chris and Jessie had stepped out of the car, the front door had been flung open and a teenager, whom Chris assumed to be Sadie, came rushing from the house, a smile upon her face. She looked like her older sister, though her looks were as dignified as Jessie's; Sadie had much lighter hair and a skinner face, with lips not as full as her sister's. However, it was clear that Sadie and Jessie were just what they claimed to be. 

A smile spread upon Jessie's face as she saw her sister, hurrying out of the car to embrace the teenager, who was just as happy to see the brunette. "I was waiting when you two would show up, you're late you know." Sadie remarked when the embrace was broken. 

"That's because your sister had to spend an hour in the bathroom getting ready, only to decide to wear her hair wet and a pair of blue jeans." Chris remarked as he crossed over to Jessie's side, a welcoming smile upon his face for the youngest Burlingame. 

Jessie shot him a loving look before making introductions. "Sadie, this is Chris Flynn, Chris, this is Sadie." The two said their pleasantries, Chris even going as far as to shake Sadie's hand, before they were joined by the three other residents. 

Molly Burlingame greeted her daughter's new boyfriend warmly, urging her son to do the same. James Burlingame shook Chris' hand roughing before looking the man upon and down. "So, Chris, you're a doctor I hear?" He questioned, the integration officially having begun. 

"Yes, sir." Chris answered as he followed James up the driveway, letting the Burlingame sisters take up the rear of the procession. "Well, this is going to be a fun evening." Jessie mumbled to her sister, who simply giggled slightly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, there's the first chapter, I hope it was enjoyable. There's another chapter following this to get the ball rolling so please read that one as well. Did you know that Jessie Burlingame was named after the character in the Stephen King novel _Gerald's Game_? I'm reading it right now, so I just thought that would be an interesting tidbit for my readers. 


	2. Dangerous Plans

Chapter Two 

Dangerous Plans 

The Burlingame residence smelled of stewing vegetables and a cooking meat that Chris couldn't identify upon walking into the house. The living room was small, neatly decorated, the most noticeable knickknacks being the photos of Jessie and her siblings during different stages in their lives. He eagerly allowed Jessie and her mother to give him a quick tour of the house, showing him the upstairs, as well as the furnished basement, before leading him into the kitchen to take a seat at the dining room table. James and Jacob were already seated, along with a boy that looked Sadie's age that neither Jessie nor Chris had been introduced to. 

"Jess and Chris, this is my boyfriend, Richard King." Sadie introduced, shooting the boy at the table a soft smile, which he returned. 

Now it was Jessie's turn to be slightly protective of her baby sister. "How long have you two been dating?" She asked, the questioned about at Richard, though she was looking at her sister. 

"Four months." Sadie and her boyfriend answered in unison, bringing childish laughter out of both of them. 

Jessie was about to ask yet another question when Chris squeezed her hand, leaning closer to whisper in her ear. "I guess now you know how your brother and father feel." Jessie pursed her lips and looked up at Chris with a sheepish look upon her face. 

With a good bit of three degree over from both parties, Jessie and Chris took their seats at the dinner table, sitting side by side in between Sadie and James. Chris made sure to complicate Molly on her roast beef and vegetable stew and listen half attentively to James' war stories as Jessie held his hand beneath the table. 

During her father's third story, Sadie finally interrupted, clearing her throat impatiently. "Daddy, please, you can tell Chris about how you did a whole bunch of boring stuff later on." She suggested, with all the freedom of a child who could still cuddle up with her father on the couch and pretend to watch Monday Night Football. "Let's give someone else a chance to talk."

James puffed indignantly at his youngest daughter before turning his attention to Chris and Jessie, who looked relieved that Sadie had finally spoken. "So, Chris, what made you want to become a doctor?" The man questioned, more then ready to resume questioning to see if this new man was good enough for his daughter. 

"My father was a doctor and he always told me stories about helping people. When I was ten, my sister fell off her bike while messing around when our parents weren't home so it was up to me to bandage her cuts and such and I realized that I really liked helping people feel better." Chris answered, knowing that his story wasn't filled with blood or excitement but it was the answer to the question that James had asked. 

Molly smiled appreciatively, shooting a warm look at her daughter. "That's very nice, Chris. It's good to be doing something that you love." She said with a gentle smile still upon her face. Chris believed that he could begin to like Ms. Burlingame much quicker then any of the Burlingame males. 

Sadie smiled first at her sister and then at Chris, before saying, "Jess, what are you plans for the weekend? Richard and I are going camping with some of his friends and wondered if you and Chris might like to come." 

Jessie frowned as soon as she heard her sister's words, pursing her lips and leaning back against her wooden chair. She felt a wave of uneasy cross over her and wondered if her face really was as pale as it felt; Chris squeezed her hand reassuringly, feeling slightly nervous as well. He hadn't lost all of his friends in the woods like Jessie had, but he had still seen them get slaughtered and could still hear Jessie's screams, Cary's pained sobs and the mutated monsters' ludicrous laughter in his deepest nightmares. He knew Jessie experienced the same thing, though fueled by the feeling of guilt that she unfairly cared with her. 

"Um, Sadie, do you really think that's a good idea? I mean, there are some crazies out there in the woods." Jessie managed to choke out when she could grab hold of herself long enough to speak. There was so much more she wanted to say to her sister then that, because she knew exactly what stretch of woods Sadie's camping trip was going to take place and it was almost too much to risk not saying anything. 

Sadie gave her a strange look, trying to figure out where her sister's words were coming from. "Jess, what are you talking about? Crazy people in the woods, it sounds like you've been watching _Deliverance _one too many times." She remarked, more concerned then anything, worried about how pale and nervous her sister suddenly looked. 

Molly cleared her throat, drawing all eyes to her. "Sadie, you can talk about your plans later. Right now, I'd like to hear more about Chris and anything he'd like to tell us." She said, looking over at Chris, who nodded appreciatively for the change in subject. He would be more then happy to relate the most boring of his life's stories just to keep the topic off anything involving the woods. 

* * * 

Jessie and Chris followed James and Jacob down into the basement once more so that the Burlingame men could show off their technological toys. Sadie, Molly and Richard took on the responsibility of cleaning up after dinner, which gave Sadie the chance to ask her mother about her beloved sister's strange behavior. 

"Mom, why did Jessie act so strange when I brought up the subject of going camping?" Sadie questioned as she ran water over a dirty dish, looking over at her mother, who simply frowned. 

"A few months ago, when Jessie and her friends went camping they were harassed by some drunk rednecks, who ended up killing all of your sister's friends and almost killing her. That's how she and Chris met, he was driving through the woods and he was able to save her. That's why your sister got so upset when you talked about camping." Molly answered, looking slightly upset. 

Sadie's face fell as she heard her mother's words, staring down at the running water, feeling like a real jackass for even bringing up the topic in the first place. She only wished that someone had told her about what had _really _happened to Carly (whom she had adored every time they had been together) and Scott (who told her that she could be the flower girl in his and Carly's wedding, even though she was sixteen) and Evan and Francine (who had attempted to show her how to roll a blunt before Jessie had caught them.) Her mother had told her that they'd died in a car accident, which was why she hadn't known not to say anything about the woods. But, she still felt bad about bringing it up. 

"Rednecks, huh?" Sadie mumbled to herself, setting her dish aside finally. "Maybe we shouldn't go camping after all." She looked over at Richard as she spoke, an unsure expression flickering across her face. 

Richard shook his head, attempting to look reassuring. "Sadie, I'm sure that your sister didn't go camping in the same place that we're going to go. And besides, those rednecks were probably arrested for what they did." He assured her, not wanting to put his camping plans on hold. 

Sadie thought about what he had said but still wasn't quite convinced; Richard saw the doubt still upon his girlfriend's face and added, "Don't worry, Sadie, we'll be fine." 


	3. A Promise

Wow, let me say that the turn out for reviews has been amazing! I can't believe I got so many reviews so quickly and how wonderful they all were! I'm really glad everyone is enjoying my story so far and I have definitely planned and continuation of this one as well, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So, continue to review and, more importantly, to enjoy. 

Chapter Three 

A Promise 

Even as Jessie laughed and reminisced with her father and brother down in the basement as they flipped through old family albums, Chris could tell that her mind was completely on her sister. His girlfriend's eyes were missing the shine that they had only recently reacquired, giving her a semi-glazed look that she only got when the subject of what had happened in the woods came up. And now, it was easy for Chris to tell that she was thinking about those horrid days, seeing her friends get slaughtered all over again, only know she was imaging that fate for her sister. 

Jessie thumbed through the album upon her lap, which was filled with more recent pictures: her college graduation, Sadie's class trip to the capitol, Jacob's first house. There was a picture of her and Carly from their graduation; they had their diplomas proudly displayed for the camera, Carly's graduation cap slightly skewed upon her frizzy hair because she was laughing and leaning on her friend. Jessie quickly flipped past that picture, attempting to push that life out of her mind once; it did her no good to remember what had once been, did nothing to help her chase away her nightmares. The last photo in the album was one of her and Sadie at the after-graduation party that the Burlingames had thrown for all of her friends; Sadie was laughing while Jessie placed her graduation cap upon her sister's head. As she stared at the picture, Jessie thought about her baby sister innocently going camping in the woods, unaware of the monsters that sharpened their blades in preparation for slaughter. The idea of her sister being butchered was almost too much for her to bare; she didn't want the photo of her and Sadie at her graduation to be the last one ever taken of the teenager. 

Jessie slammed the album shut, startling the three men sitting around her and placed it upon the table. "I have to go and talk to Sadie." She muttered by way of an explanation as she quickly got to her feet. She saw a hesitant look flicker across Chris' face and did her best to give him a reassuring smile. "I'll be back in a second." 

Chris watched his girlfriend vanish up the stairs before turning his attention back to James and Jacob, who were studying him intently. "What happened to my daughter that day you found her, Chris? Honestly happened to her?" James questioned, knowing now was as good a time as any to get the answers he couldn't get from Jessie. "She's been different, not the same girl I remember." 

"With all do respect, sir, Jessie saw her friends die that day and she almost died herself. She's entitled to being a little different." Chris answered, picking up the album Jessie had abandoned and opening it, signaling that the conversation was through. 

* * * 

Jessie found her sister in the living room with Richard, the two giggling about some private joke that was only for them to know. Sadie looked up when her sister entered the room and smiled broadly, a signal to Jessie that she and Sadie didn't see enough of each other. "Hey, Sadie, do you think I can talk to you for a minute? Alone." Jessie added as an afterthought, motioning for her sister to follow her up the stairs. 

With a quick glance at Richard, Sadie jumped off the couch and followed her elder sister up the stairs, knowing what the basis of Jessie's talk was going to be about. The sisters entered Sadie's room, since Jessie's had since been turned in James' office and Jessie shut the door behind her. The room had changed a great deal since the last time Jessie had been in it, most of the stuffed animals and dolls having been replaced by magazines, school texts, and photos of friends that she didn't know. Jessie smiled slightly when she saw the worn stuffed turtle that she had given Sadie before she had left for college; the turtle still claimed the spot of honor on her sister's pillow. 

Sadie turned to face her sister, speaking before Jessie had a chance to do so. "Mom told me what really happened to Carly and the rest of your friends. I'm sorry that I brought up camping, Jess, if I had known, I wouldn't have said anything." She apologized, feeling bad all over again. If her friends had died while they had been camping, she wouldn't have wanted it brought up either; to make matters worse, she had asked her sister to come camping with them. 

Jessie smiled faintly at her sister, dropping down on the girl's day bed and picking up the turtle. Sadie had been seven when she had graduated from high school and had been upset that her big sister was leaving the house; Jessie had wanted to get her something, a parting gift, and her sister had been infatuated with turtles at the time. She had been with Carly while shopping and it was her friend who had found the stuffed reptile in the first place. 

"It's all right, Sadie. What did you think happened to everyone if no one ever told you the truth?" Jessie questioned, feeling bad for using the word _truth _when the story her sister had been told was a lie as well. 

Sadie shrugged and sat down beside her sister. "Mom always said that you guys were in a car accident and Chris had been the first one on the scene and he'd saved you from the wreck." She answered, looking over at Jessie and shrugging again. "I always thought that made Chris sound really heroic." 

"Chris is heroic, he saved my life that day." Jessie said quickly, remembering the way Chris had arrived, as if by magic, at the monsters' cabin right as she was nearing her death. "If it wasn't for him, I'd be dead too." 

Sadie sighed, scooting a little closer to her older sister; she didn't like to think about what it would be like if Jessie had died that die with her friends, didn't want to think about how it would be not to have a sister anymore. She was about to tell these things to Jessie but the elder girl spoke before she had a chance to. "I wanted to...ask you to please not go camping with your friends. _Please. _You have no idea how dangerous it is out there. Those rednecks could still be up there." Jessie pleaded, turning to her sister with a pained expression upon her face. 

Sadie didn't like the look she saw upon her sister's face, didn't like to see Jessie look so upset and broken. So utterly lost. Five months ago, she had overheard her mother talking to her father about what had happened in the woods; they hadn't let her go to the funeral even though she was sixteen and she had been inwardly glad when she had heard her parents talking. "You know," Molly had told her husband while washing dishes. "They couldn't have an open casket for Carly because her head had been cut off. Can you believe that? Cut clean off. Who would do such a thing?" 

Later that night, Sadie had lain awake in bed thinking about what her mother had said about Carly's head. It made matters worse that Jessie had seen the whole thing happen; she had no idea how she would feel if she saw her best friend's head cut off. She wouldn't be able to continue, unlike Jessie had. 

Finally, Sadie managed to nod, tearing her thoughts away from decapitated bodies. "All right. I won't go." She told her sister, who didn't look very convinced, in spite of her words. "I promise." 

Jessie smiled slightly, setting the stuffed turtle aside so that she could embrace her baby sister tightly. "I don't want anything to happen to you, Sadie, and those people are crazy. Don't go, it's too much of a risk." She was mumbling those words almost, she felt, for her benefit. Sadie was nodding, Jessie could feel her chin pressing against her shoulder blades. 

Jessie knew that, after everything she had been told, that Sadie would listen and not take the chance of venturing in the woods. She might not have been able to save Carly and Scott, or Evan and Francine but she sure as hell wasn't going to lose her baby sister. 


	4. Nightmares

Chapter Four 

Nightmares 

When Jessie and Sadie emerged from upstairs, it was clue to the elder Burlingame girl that Chris was more then ready to call an end to the first family dinner. That fact was written across his face as he sat on the couch beside Richard, listening to James' war stories, and waiting for his girlfriend to emerge once more. Jessie grinned apologetically at her boyfriend when he glanced her way, feeling guilty for leaving him alone with her tedious father and unsocial older brother. "Dad, Chris doesn't want to hear about how you flew some war plane." Jessie admonished as she entered the living room with Sadie at her heels. 

"Jessie's right, with all those stories you tell I'd be surprised if Chris ever wanted to come back." Sadie quipped in agreement. "I'm surprised Richard does." 

James looked slightly hurt but not reprimanded by his daughters, who had told him how boring his stories were every time he opened his mouth to begin one. He thought about giving the Burlingame girls a smart remark, but couldn't came up with one that the sisters wouldn't retaliate against. 

"Chris and I have a long drive to get back to our apartment, so I think we'd better call it a night." Jessie told her father as well as Chris, who quickly stood and walked over to his girlfriend. 

Chris and Jessie's family said their polite goodbyes as they escorted the couple out to the driveway. Sadie tagged along beside her sister, thinking about what she had been told about what had happened five months ago, as well as her promise not to venture into the woods. It seemed so strange that something so evil had happened in the very woods she had been camping in as a child. 

"It was nice to meet you, Sadie." Chris said as he slipped into the driver's side of the car, waiting for Jessie to get in as well. 

Sadie nodded a likewise and turned to face her older sister, who embraced her strongly. "Don't go into the woods, please." Jessie whispered in her sister's ear as they parted and Sadie nodded in agreement. "I promise." 

Jessie gave her sister a tense smile as she headed toward the passenger side of the car, giving her family a goodbye wave as she shut the door behind her. Chris gave the brunette a warm smile as he pulled the car out of the driveway. "That went well, you got all worked up for nothing." He told her. 

"Of course it went well, you're such a pushover." Jessie smiled, pushing her boyfriend lightly in the shoulder. Chris rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless, glad to see that the sparkle had returned to his girlfriend's eyes.

Not for the first time, Chris wondered if it had been fate that a tractor trailer had wrecked on the highway, forcing him to run into Jessie and her friends. He felt as though he couldn't help but know that things would have turned out much differently if he hadn't crashed into their car; Jessie had said it many times herself, she doubted that she would still be alive if not for him. As he studied the brunette beside him, who was flipping through radio stations, he thanked God or fate or whatever it had been that the tractor had jackknifed that he had been able to save the beautiful girl beside him. 

Jessie looked up, frowning slightly when she caught Chris looking her. "What?" She questioned, looking and feeling suddenly very self-conscious. 

Chris shook his head with a slight smile. "Nothing." He assured her, returning his attention to the road. "So, uh, how did it go with your sister?" He questioned, assuming that things had gone well judging by the seemingly chipper aura that Jessie projected. 

"Fine, she said that she wouldn't go camping." Jessie answered, taking comfort in her sisters words. "And she isn't one to break a promise, not to me." It was true, a thing her sister had never done and Jessie didn't think she ever would. 

Chris smiled and nodded. "Well, that's good." He told her, inwardly relieved that Sadie had agreed to stay far from the woods. It would kill Jessie if someone else she loved died at the hands of those murderous monsters. 

Jessie nodded in agreement, leaning back against her seat. The guilt that she felt about the deaths of Carly and her friends she was trying elevate by saving her sister. The one month of therapy Chris had made her take after they had escaped the woods had helped her understand that there was nothing she could do to really save Carly and her friends and there was nothing she could have done then. Jessie didn't always believe that there was nothing she could have done and her sessions and apparent revelations had done nothing to take away the guilt that she felt. If she could save Carly through Sadie, then she was all for it, as shallow as that was. 

"I still have these nightmares, where we're in the woods and Carly is begging me for help but I can't help her. There's nothing I can do but she just keeps begging me." Jessie mumbled, not quite sure why she was speaking. Chris knew all of her nightmares and fears, just as she knew all of his, but she somehow felt the need to talk to him again. Therapy she didn't need, Chris she did. "And I don't like the feeling I get whenever I wake up and realize that I really can't help her. I never want to feel that feeling again, about someone I could have saved." She stopped there, not quite sure of where she was going. She just knew that she couldn't bare it if anything happened to Sadie and prayed that her sister really wouldn't go camping. 

Chris turned the study her once again, a soft expression upon her face. "Jess, it's not good for you to blame yourself for things that you can't change. We both tried to save Scott and Carly but we couldn't and we lived; you can't waste your life trying to save someone that's dead." He told her, knowing that her sudden steps backward had nothing to do with Carly at all. "If you're worried about Sadie, I don't think you have any reason to be; you said yourself that she wasn't going to go camping." 

Jessie sighed, shifting in her seat. "I know. But maybe it's not that, maybe it's the fact that those bastards are still out there in the woods. I know that you always pay close attention to the reports about people disappearing in the woods because I see you do it, I see that look in your eyes. What if we told the police about what happened, get those monsters out the woods before they could hurt anyone else?" 

Chris considered what Jessie had said as he turned his attention back to the road; ever since he had crashed into the back of Francine's mother's car, he had become a much safer driver. "I don't think that would do any good. Even if they caught those fuckers, most courts would just say they were too mentally ill to stand trail and be punished." He muttered, wishing that it wasn't true. During his studies at college, he'd taken a course about law and persecution and the one thing he remembered -for he had dropped the class rather soon- was that if you seemed crazy enough to be mentally ill, then the state simply shipped you off to let someone else deal with you. 

Jessie pursed her lips and gazed out the window, wishing that they weren't having this conversation. For the first two months after escaping the West Virginia woods, she and Chris had thought that a good deal of their problems where over: they had escaped, they had triumphed, the monsters were dead. But, Jessie still remembered the way she had felt when she had seen the news report on the seven o'clock news, featuring a hiker who had escaped near death by something he had called "misshapen monsters." The same monsters that had killed the rest of his hiking party and, subsequently, killed the three investigating officers who had traipsed into the woods, looking for the "monsters." Jessie and Chris had sat in silence, trying to figure out what this new knowledge meant to them; the murderous mountain men weren't dead, they were still possibly in danger. 

"They're so goddamn crazy, they just won't stop." Jessie mumbled, leaning her forehead against her window and watched her breath stem the glass. 

Chris entwined his fingers with Jessie's and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "You can't save everyone, Jess." He told her, forcing out a wane smile. 

Jessie nodded, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing his knuckles, feeling greatly comforted by his words and presence. Thank God for Chris, her knight-in-shining armor. 


	5. Three Days Later

Okay, sorry about the long wait, I'm suffering from something I like to call finals. Yes, it is the end of first semester and I believe my teachers have decided now is the time to pile us with all the work they wanted to give us earlier. But, hang in there, only two more weeks then I'll be able to update much more frequently. Regardless, here is another chapter: let the games begin. 

Chapter Five 

Three Days Later 

The days following the dinner at the Burlingame home had passed quickly for Jessie and, before she knew it, it was Friday. Friday meant that Chris could finally take a break from his job at Dr. Keller's and she could put off her college work without feeling too bad about it (not that she ever _really _felt bad.) But, as Jessie sat in her last class of the day, she realized that it didn't feel like a Friday; it felt like any other day of the week, complete with work and worry. 

Jessie tapped her pen upon the surface of her desk and tried to force herself to pay attention, though she wasn't really succeeding; she found the only thing that she could think about was her little sister and that today was the day that she was supposed to take her planned camping trip. The one that she had promised not to take. 

Sadie had never lied to her, not even when she had spilled paint all over her favorite pair of pants, yet Jessie couldn't help but wonder...would her sister keep the most important promise she could ever make? 

* * * 

Sadie shifted uncomfortably as she regarded Richard Corman, her boyfriend of four months, who was staring at her with a mixture of anger and hurt upon his face. Finally, unable to take the silence anymore, she spoke, "I promised my sister I wouldn't go." 

Richard sighed, shifting and crossing his arms across his chest. "You could have told me sooner, why did you have to wait until the hour before we leave to let me know that you don't want to go camping?" He questioned, clearly trying to keep the anger that he felt from seeping into his voice. 

"No, it's not that I don't want to go camping, I do. It's just that I _promised _Jessie that I won't go; it's very important to her that I don't go." Sadie defended as soon as the words were out of her boyfriend's mouth. She really did want to go camping, for it was one of her favorite things to do and she had really warmed up to the idea of spending a weekend alone with Richard. Not completely alone, for Richard's sister, best friend and his best friend's girlfriend would be there as well, which was the main reason her parents had agreed to let her go in the first place. 

For a moment, a look of confusion replaced the look of hurt upon Richard's face. "It's because of those rednecks isn't it?" He muttered, though he didn't need her to confirm his statement. "Sadie, that probably happened miles from where we've decided to go camping. I understand that your sister means a lot to you but you can't let her stop you from having fun." 

"Her friends died in those woods, Richard." Sadie retorted, wondering where her conflicting feelings were coming from. "I understand where she's coming from."

Richard sighed once more, running his fingers through his hair and trying to reason inwardly with himself; he loved Sadie, this he already knew even four months, and he wanted for her to be happy but he could tell that she wasn't going to be happy if she agreed to stay home with her sister. His girlfriend loved to go camping and it was she who had suggested the idea in the first place; he wasn't going to let her back out. "I understand too, but she doesn't want you to be unhappy does she?" Richard questioned, raising an eyebrow when Sadie didn't disagree. "You can't let your sister control you, Sadie." 

"She's not controlling me, she's just protecting me." Sadie snapped, knowing that was all Jessie was trying to do. She had lost her friends and she didn't want to lose her sister too. "If those rednecks still are in the woods, she doesn't want me to get hurt." 

Richard moved closer to his girlfriend and slipped his arms around her waste, trying her against him. "Nothing will happen to you, not with me around." He assured her, kissing Sadie lightly upon the tip of her nose. "I promise." 

Sadie smiled, cheeks reddening unconsciously. "And _I _promised _her _that I wouldn't go." She pointed out, raising an eyebrow and wondering what her boyfriend would say next. He clearly wanted her to go camping just as much as she wanted to go and she was interested in what he would do next. 

Richard titled his head slightly and kissed Sadie's lips, parting with a smile upon his face. "Then don't tell her you're going, she'll never know." He said, waggling his eyebrows, knowing that he had his girlfriend convinced. 

Sadie rolled her eyes and said, "She'll never know." 

* * * 

When Jessie arrived back to the small apartment that she shared with Chris, she was surprised to see her boyfriend home all ready. He was sprawled out on the couch with one arm draped over his head, looking much like he was sleeping. When she shut the door gently behind her, however, Chris said, "I was wondering when you'd get home." 

Jessie smiled and sat down beside Chris, leaning against his chest. "I took the long way home, thinking that maybe I could collect my thoughts." She answered, shutting her own eyes and wishing that she could drift away. 

"What's been on your mind?" Chris questioned, kissing the crown of Jessie's hair before trailing his fingers down the nape of her neck. 

Jessie leaned closer against him, not opening her eyes. "A lot of things: Sadie, college, mostly what happened in the woods." She answered, sighing deeply as she thought about her words. "It seems like lately, that's the only thing I've been able to think about, even more then usual." 

Chris kissed her cheeks, wrapping his arms around her and embracing her tightly. "Jess, it's okay to think about those things, it's only been five months." 

"Really?" Jessie questioned, opening her eyes suddenly. "It seems like it's been a lifetime." 


	6. Bear Mountain Road

Chapter Six 

Bear Mountain Road 

Sadie shut the door of her father's SUV after she had tossed her last bag into the cargo hold. The back of the car was packed with camping equipment and duffel bags, filled with clothes and other necessities for the five teenagers that were going camping. She turned away from the green SUV and faced the other four people that were accompanying her into the deep, dark woods. Standing beside Richard was his twin sister, Virginia Corman, who was arguing about something with a seventeen year old girl whom Sadie had been introduced to as Ramsey Jenkins. Standing beside Ramsey was her boyfriend, Kyle Green, who was Richard's best friend. Out of the group, Sadie was the youngest by a year and the only another member of the camping group that she had met had been Virginia. 

"All right, we're all packed up." Sadie told them, bringing the attention to her and ending the right between Ginny and Ramsey, who had been arguing over who would pick the radio stations. 

Richard smiled and said, "All right, let's get this show on the road," motioning for his girlfriend to hand over the keys, which she did. Sadie headed to the passenger side of the SUV while her boyfriend climbed into the driver's side, leaving the other three to pile in the back. 

Ramsey rolled her eyes as she followed her boyfriend into the car. "I don't even like the woods, too many bugs." She grumbled, sliding it next to Kyle, who draped his arm across her shoulder and kissed her cheek. 

"Come on babe, it'll be fun...the two of us...alone in the woods." Kyle murmured, lowering his voice with every word. Ramsey just rolled her eyes and gestured around her as to say, _We're definitely not alone_. 

Richard inserted the keys in the SUV and backed the vehicle out of the Burlingame driveway, squinting his eyes in an attempt to see past the luggage behind him. "It _will _be fun, killer rednecks or no." He said, with a side glance at Sadie, who just shot him the evil look. 

Ginny narrowed her eyes as she stared at her brother. "Killer rednecks? What about killer rednecks?" She questioned, looking as though she had suddenly gotten onto the wrong school bus during her first day of kindergarten.

"You know, a group of rednecks, sitting along side of the road, waiting to shot anyone that passes by." Richard answered, enjoying the way that his sister seemed to be growing paler and paler with every word. What he didn't really care for was how Sadie's look was getting less and less friendly. 

Ramsey shot Ginny a nervous look before turning to glance at Richard, who was studying them in the rearview mirror. "Tell me you're just kidding. I did _not _sign on for killer hillbillies." She snapped. 

Richard was about to answer when Kyle interjected. "It's just bullshit baby, there are no killer rednecks in the woods. Richie-Rich is just trying to scare you." He said, causing Sadie to turn around and face them. 

"It's not bullshit, it's a true story. My sister and her friends went camping five months ago and some hillbillies killed all of her friends." Sadie told them, punching Richard none too gently in the arm for bringing the story up in the first place and taking it so lightly. Richard gave her a puppy-dog look which she easily ignored. 

At her words, even Kyle looked unsure, not quite sure of what to say. When Ramsey snuggled closer against him, he decided that he very much liked the idea of a couple of harmless camp fire stories. "Right...and did you hear the one about the escaped convict with a hook for a hand?" He retorted, raising an eyebrow at Sadie, who simply narrowed her eyes and turned back around in her seat. 

Richard reached over and squeezed his girlfriend's hand. "I'm sorry, Sadie, I was just making a joke." He mumbled, not quite sure if he was choosing the right words. 

Sadie pulled her hand away and glared at him. "It's not funny and it's not a joke. I knew those people, I really did and now they're dead." She snapped, turning her gaze out the windshield. 

"C'mon Sadie, this is no way to start off a romantic camping trip." Richard said, trying to sound apologetic and irresistible. Sadie, however, cared for neither of those attempts and turned her head to her right, looking out the window. Richard sighed and returned his gaze to the highway. 

* * * 

Luckily for Richard, Sadie forgot about his mockery as they neared the woods, speaking to him once more. After listening to Kyle tell some recycled urban legends, Ginny asked her brother, "Where are we camping anyway? These are very big woods." She was more interested in how close they would be to society, incase there really were killer rednecks on the lose. 

Richard shrugged, glancing back at his sister. "I was thinking that we'd just stop at a gas station and ask the locals where a good place to camp is." He suggested, checking the road signs for the nearest gas station and seeing that there was one a mile up. 

"Right, so they can come kill us in our sleep." Ramsey snapped, glancing out the window and frowning when all she saw was trees and bushes. 

Kyle raised an eyebrow as he looked at his girlfriend. "Don't tell me a little campfire tales have gotten under your skin." 

Ramsey rolled her eyes. "Please, not you're lame-ass stories. What is Sadie's right?" She questioned, wondering if she really was telling the truth. She'd only known the girl for two hours so she wasn't quite sure if she really believed what she said. 

Kyle decided against anything, not wishing to incur the further wrath of Sadie Burlingame, who he was sure was PMSing, judging by her reaction to Richard's story. "We'll get there and you'll see, the scariest thing in those woods with be the poison ivy." He told his girlfriend low enough so that no one else could hear. 

Ramsey frowned. "There's poison ivy?" 

* * * 

The gas station advertised on the hand-made cardboard signs was empty aside from a few assorted, rusted gas pumps and a rotting whicker chair. Eager to stretch their legs, the five teens hopped out of the chair and began to prowl around the small outside area. Ramsey and Ginny wandered close to the windows, peering at the chair and attempting to see through the grim on the glass, while Sadie studied the rusting signs tacked onto the wall advertising gasoline that had gone out of sale fifty years ago. She pursed her lips when she saw a cardboard bulletin board, which looked like it had once contained a state map, though there was only a few inches remaining on the left. 

Richard and Kyle entered the gas station, looking for the attendant or anyone that would prove that this place was still up in running. They found a man sitting behind the counter, clothed in overalls, leaning back in a chair. Noticing that Kyle was hanging back, Richard approached the man. 

"Excuse me, can you tell me where a good place to go camping is?" Richard questioned, trying to ignore the fact that it appeared that the man only had one tooth. 

The middle-aged man studied him for a moment before sighing. "Off Bear Mountain Road's good." He answered, taking a deep breath and shifting his gaze to Kyle, who didn't even try to offer a smile. 

Richard smiled and nodded. "Thanks a lot." He muttered and turned, following Kyle out of the building. 

The man watched them disappear before sighing once more, watching the group through the grimy windows. "When are they gonna learn?" He questioned the empty gas station. 

When the boys emerged from the station, Ramsey and Ginny turned in their direction, seeming eager to get on with their little trip. "Hey, do you think there's a bathroom here? I've gotta pee." Ramsey questioned, glancing around for a sign of one. 

"Sure, babe, I saw some bushes along side of the road and some leaves beside the car." Kyle said with a sly smile, causing his girlfriend and frown and swat at him before climbing into the car. 

Richard rolled his eyes and turned to face Sadie, who was lingering along the building, studying the knickknacks. "Come on, Sadie." He called, causing her to turn and head toward the car. 

"There's a bulletin board where someone ripped down a country map." Sadie told her boyfriend as she buckled her seatbelt. "Who would take a map?" 

Richard shrugged. "Someone who didn't want to get lost I guess." He answered, smiling slightly at his girlfriend. 

Sadie nodded once, deciding that her boyfriend did have a point. "That remains me, do you know where _we're _going?" She asked him, raising an eyebrow. 

"The man in the gas station told me a good place to go camping." Richard answered. "Just off Bear Mountain Road." 


	7. Remains

Chapter Seven 

Remains 

Dusk was beginning to settle in by the time Richard navigated the SUV out of the foliage and into a clearing that rested at the end of Bear Mountain Road. The dirt road had been cluttered with branches, shrubs and leafy plants that no one could rightly identify, the low hanging branches of the drooping trees scraping every so often against the roof of the car. By the time the road tapered into a clearing, everyone was more then ready to put the thick of the forest behind them. 

"Please, can we just find a place to camp so that I can lay in my sleeping bag and...sleep." Ramsey whimpered, looking quite exhausted as she leaned against her boyfriend's shoulder. 

"You know we actually have to put up the tents, don't you?" Sadie asked, turning in her seat to regard the weary girl, who didn't look too pleased at her words. "Otherwise you'll have no where to sleep." 

Ramsey frowned. "Yes I will, I'll sleep in the car." She informed the younger girl, who simply turned back around, in no mood to even talk to the blonde, let alone get into another 'discussion' with her. 

As soon as Sadie turned around, a rhythmic ringing filled the SUV, causing the teenager to jump slightly, not expecting the jungle of her cell phone. "I didn't know that we'd have service out here." She mumbled, pulling her phone from her pocket and clicking it on. 

Ramsey frowned as well. "I didn't either, I would have brought my phone." She mumbled, sounding very mournful for someone who had simply forgotten their phone for two days. 

"Hello?" Sadie answered, wondering who would be phoning her. Her parents had promised to lay off calling her and let her have two days of complete teenage freedom and independence. Her face paled slightly when the person on the other side of the spoke. 

"Hey Sadie, it's your favorite sister." Jessie said from her apartment many miles away from where her favorite sister now sat. 

"Hi, Jess." The teenager mumbled, shooting her boyfriend a glare that rivaled the one she had given him when they had first started off on the trip. "What's up?" 

"Nothing, really, just wondering if you wanted to do something with Chris and I tonight since you're not camping with your friends." Jessie asked, her words nearly breaking her sister's heart without her even realizing it. Surely, Jessie wouldn't be so kind if she knew where Sadie really was. 

Sadie frowned, pausing so that she could collect herself and try not to sound so guilty; everyone in the car would hate her if she made them turn around and go back into the city and would, most likely, dump her off in the woods. "Um, I think I'll have to pass tonight, Jess, I'm...not feeling very well." She said, feeling even worse for lying once again. "Thanks for the offer." 

"Poor little butterfly." Jessie cooed, much as she had done when her sister was little and had a cold, using her sister's favorite nickname. "It's a good thing you didn't go camping then." 

"Right." Sadie choked out, gazing out the window at a place that certainly wasn't her bedroom, where she should be. "I'll call you later, Jessie, okay? Love you." She said before hanging up the phone, not wanting to hear anymore sympathy from her sister. 

Richard gave his girlfriend a soft smile saying, "Sorry about your sister, but you don't have to tell her where you really are." He didn't like the hang-dog look he saw upon her face, unsure of how one could be so close to their siblings; he and Ginny were twins that they usually couldn't stand each other. 

Sadie sighed and leaned back against her seat, still gazing out the window and the sinking sun, dropping her cell phone in her lap. "Let's just get this weekend over with." She mumbled, frowning. 

Ramsey looked over at the mournful teenager and noticed her cell resting upon her lap. "Cute cover." She remarked, speaking of the many colored butterfly that adorned the younger girl's cell phone. "Think I can use it later to call some of my friends?" 

Sadie frowned and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think so, I only have a few minutes left and I don't want to run them out. Just in case there's an emergency." She muttered, tucking her phone back in her pocket. 

Kyle rolled his eyes. "Not that hillbilly crap again." He scoffed, frowning at the teenager who simply ignored him. "When are you guys gonna get off this kick?" 

"Enough." Ginny intervened before Sadie had a chance to do so. "I am sick and tired of hearing about killer hillbillies and crap, just shut up. Damn, can't we just go camping in peace?" She snapped, looking at Kyle, Sadie and Richard, none of who said anything to contradict her words. 

The occupants of the SUV were silent until Richard piloted the car down an adjacent dirt road and Sadie saw something that captured her attention. "Look at that." She instructed, leaning forward and gesturing out the windshield. 

The thing that the teenager was pointing at was nothing incredibly interesting, but it was enough to get everyone looking in that direction. Toward the left of the SUV was a large, open field type area that had cleared been ravaged by fire; many of the trees were wilted or burned, leaving nothing but stumps or twisted branches. Ashes were mixed in with the dirt and debris of charred timber and a gaping chimney raising from the assorted pile. 

The most eye-catching thing about the whole scene was the row of charred, broken vehicles that rested to the left of the sight like a bizarre automobile graveyard. The ones closet to where the house had once been were slightly melted, tipping like the branches of the trees around them. 

"Weird." Sadie remarked, unable to take her eyes off the strange scene that was laid out before her. "I wonder what happened here." 

Richard slowed the car so they could get a better look at the remains of something that had once been. "A fire, or something, I'm guessing." 

"I know one thing for sure," Ramsey remarked. "I definitely don't want to camp here. Keep going." No one seemed ready to camp anywhere near the accident site so no one raised any objects to her words. 

Sadie let her gaze linger on the burned remains, until she could no longer see it through the dense barrier of sleeping bags and suitcases. Just as she had wondered what had happened to the map at the gas station, she wondered what had caused the scene that she now saw. One thing Sadie was sure about was that ever since they had entered the woods, she was becoming less and less enthusiastic about camping and she was certain that it wasn't just because of lying to Jessie. It felt like something more. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

So, this is a short chapter but I haven't gotten any reviews lately so, unless I get some reviews I'm doubting continuing. I like to know what everything thinks about the chapters, and reviews are great ways to see what I'm doing wrong or right. So, please, review and let me know how you're liking this story. 


	8. Doubts

So, I guess this story is fated to continue; thanks for the two people that reviewed, it means a lot to me that people are still interested. Just make sure to keep reviewing and let me know how it's going. You want more Chris and Jessie? No problem. 

Chapter Eight 

Doubts 

Jessie was sitting in the living room, trying to read her biology text book, when Chris came home from work that Friday evening. At first, she didn't seem to notice that he had entered and he stood by the door, studying her in the low lamp light, unable to get over how beautiful she looked with her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail and her chin rested in the palm of her hand as she poured over the print in front of her. Finally, Jessie looked up and smiled when she noticed Chris studied her. "What are you doing, just standing there?" She questioned, tossing her text away and standing. 

"Nothing." Chris said, tossing his keys onto the table beside the door. He wrapped his arms around Jessie and pulled her closer to him, kissing her gently. "I have missed you all day." He told her when the kiss was broken. 

Jessie smiled as she pulled away from him, feeling her cheeks redden slightly; Chris' romantic flattery still managed to get to her, in a good way. "So, how was your day? Rousing and exciting I hope." She remarked as she flicked on another light in the living room. When she read, she usually only kept on the lamp right beside her, which left the rest of the apartment dark; sometimes, it surprised her when she still preferred the darkness, despite everything that had happened in the woods. 

"Not as exciting as I would have thought." Chris answered as he followed her into the living room. "The office has been pretty quiet lately. How about you, anything noteworthy?" This was one of their daily routines, making sure to keep up on each other's usually mundane lives. 

Jessie wrinkled her nose as she thought about answering his question; they had started off their relationship on the promise to always mention everything that was of the least bit of importance, just in case it came up sometime later on. "Well, I called Sadie about thirty minutes ago, to see if she wanted to go out to the movies or something. You know, to sort of make up for telling her not to go camping but she told me that she wasn't feeling well. The thing is, she didn't sound sick to me and her cell phone reception didn't seem that clear." She frowned, looking over at Chris, raising an eyebrow. "It sounds completely stupid right? I just can't help but wonder if Sadie lied to me and really _did _go camping." She was more worried about her sister's well being then her integrity and wished that she had picked up on something while she still had Sadie on the phone. 

Chris couldn't help but smile, touched by Jessie's concern for her little sister. "Don't worry about it, you can always call her later and ask her if it still bothering you." He suggested, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. 

Jessie smiled as well, running her finger's along Chris' check. "You're probably right, I'm just worrying for nothing." She tilted her head and kissed him gently, reassured about the whole ordeal with her sister. Chris just had that affect on her. 

* * * 

Sadie held the flashlight as Richard attempted to hammer the tent posts into the ground, but missing and implanting the hammer into the soft ground. Ramsey watched from her spot, seated with her back against a tree, and sighed, rolling her eyes. "Haven't you gotten it yet?" She questioned, mocking a yawn. In truth, she was bored and had been over the whole idea of going on a camping trip as soon as they had gotten to the woods. It was even worse now that Richard and Kyle couldn't even manage to put their tent up and it was almost completely dark. 

Richard looked away from the tent and glared at the blonde. "You're welcome to come over here and try to put up the tent." He snapped, having had enough of Ramsey already. He didn't know how he was going to stand two more days of her.   
Sadie sighed and dropped down on her knees beside her boyfriend. "Let me try." She commanded, handing him the flashlight and taking the hammer. Holding the stake steady, she pounded it into the dirt effortlessly. "I still don't think all five of us are going to be able to fit into this one tent." She remarked, though it wasn't like they had a choice since she was the only one who actually had a tent in the fist place. 

Virginia, who had been holding the flashlight for Kyle on the opposite side of the tent, simply scoffed, which was her general means of expression and shifted her weight, seeming more agitated then Ramsey. "Will you put up the goddamn thing already?" She snapped, causing Richard to look over at his sister. 

"You got somewhere to be Ginny?" He questioned lightly, trying to get his sister out of whatever bad mood she had slumped into. If Virginia was in a bad mood, they would all be soon. 

"As a matter of fact, I wanted to hike down to the lake before it got too dark but it looks as though we're going to be here until morning since Kyle can't nail a pole into the ground." Virginia answered, her remarks causing Kyle to swing the hammer at her foot, making her hop away, agitated. 

Kyle swiped at the stake once again but only succeeded in hitting the side of the post. "Go to the lake, no one's stopping you. You're not holding that light still enough anyway." He remarked, to which Virginia smiled and mocking nodded her graciously.

"I am off to the lake, I'll be back in a few minutes." Virginia announced, swinging the light around so that it pointed past the parked SUV and down a beaten path. 

Sadie looked over at the girl as she headed past her. "Do you want some company, the woods can be dangerous-" She began but Virginia cut her off before she could finish her concerned sentence. 

"Don't start with the hillbillies again, Sadie." She commanded, though not as harshly as she had in the car. "I'm just going to the lake, I'll be fun." Sadie looked as though she wanted to say more but didn't, for which Virginia was grateful for. Without another word, she left their campsite, smiling to herself when she heard Kyle whack his thumb with the hammer. 

As she headed closer to the lake, Virginia found that she had to point the flashlight at the ground so that it would be easier for her to see where she was walking and not trip over the many twisted, exposed roots that rose from the path. Nearing the lake, she realized that she didn't hear any of the normal animal sounds that people usually associated with the forest: no chirping birds, hooting owls or ground animals making their usual ground animal noises. This knowledge caused Virginia to stop and take notice, a chill passing alone her spine and going all the way to her toes and she suddenly felt like she was being watched. 

No longer interested in seeing the lake, she turned in headed back the way she had come, her pace much quicker this time. Virginia stopped when a stick cracked from somewhere behind her; suddenly, all of Sadie's killer hillbilly stories began to seem much more realistic and she quickly turned in the direction that the sound had come in, holding her light in front of her. Virginia nearly screamed when she saw the bushes shudder in movement as her light played upon them, signaling that someone had ducked into them or perhaps fled from them, which made her even more nervous.

"Hello? Who's there?" She called out, feeling slightly foolish despite what she had seen and wondering if it wasn't in fact one of her camping mates simply playing a trick upon her. That seemed like something Kyle or even Richard would do. "I mean it, who's there?" She made her words sound more upset then frightened this time, so that if it really was only Kyle or Richard they would see that she wasn't scared after all. _Of course it's only Kyle and Richard, who else could it be? _Virginia thought, not wanting to admit that there might be alternative. 

A maniacal laugh cut through the night as an answer to her shouts, sounding much to Virginia like a serial killer; the bushes closer to her began shiver as well, more sticks snapping underfoot as whoever was out there got closer to her. Feeling that it wasn't Kyle out in the woods, Virginia spun around and headed back down the path toward her campsite, running as fast as she could without falling on her face. 

As she ran, she became aware that someone was running after her, she could hear the footsteps mismatched with her own. The strange laugh started up again, which only forced her to run faster, heart beating as she resisted the urge to look back. Finally, Virginia could take it no longer and turned to see who was pursuing her; at first, she wasn't sure if she was beginning chased by a man at all, for the thing began her had a distorted face, limping gate and crocked arms. 

Before she could get a better look at what was chasing her, Virginia's foot caught under a twisting root and pitched her forward, the flashlight rolling away from her as her face hit the hard-packed ground beneath her. Stunned, she couldn't do anything but lay against the dirt, her body throbbing with pain from her fall. 

Virginia didn't even have the chance to get to her feet or scream before her pursuer jabbed the jagged blade of the knife he was carrying into the back of her neck. 


	9. Emergency

Yes, the bloodbath has begun, hopefully it will be just as bloody and fulfilling as the actual movie, and many other slasher movies out there. So, keep those wonderful reviews coming! 

Chapter Nine 

Emergency 

Sadie poked her out of the tent where she had been lying out Ramsey's sleeping bag, brow knitted. "Did you guys just hear something?" She questioned, looking over at Kyle, who was massaging his girlfriend's shoulders, and Richard who was gathering sticks to attempt to light a fire. 

"What?" Richard asked, dropping his pitiful pile in front of the tent. "What's the matter?" He was quite interested in just what was bothering his girlfriend now, and was certain that whatever it was she was simply just imagining it; some figment of her guilty conscience. 

Sadie climbed out of the tent and cocked her head, gazing off toward the woods where Virginia had disappeared only moments before. "Some sound...or something, coming from over there." She explained, looking over to where she had indicated, trying to notice anything out of the ordinary. The woods were silent and still, as though there was nothing amiss at all; Sadie wondered if she had heard anything after all. 

"A sound or something?" Ramsey remarked, glaring at the girl. "These are woods, there are like...squirrels and bears and stuff." She rolled her eyes, leaning against her boyfriend who kissed her shoulders before glancing over at the brunette.

"Or killer hillbillies?" He remarked, mocking the girl who clearing wasn't the mood for the couple's pathetic double-teamed insults. 

Sadie decided not even give them a remark but reached inside the tent and pulled out the flashlight. "I heard something, I'm going to go make sure that Ginny is all right." She explained, shining the light off toward the brush, which was still silent and motionless. 

Richard frowned when he realized that his girlfriend was really going to go traipsing into the woods chasing after something that was probably just a rabbit. "I'll go with you." He offered, hoping that the sooner they'd go out, the sooner Sadie would realize that there was nothing out there. 

Without a word, Sadie headed toward the path Virginia had taken with Richard in tow, holding the flashlight out so that it played upon the still brush and trees. They walked for a moment in silence before Richard caught up with his girlfriend and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to stop and turn around. "Sadie, what's all this about?" He questioned, causing her to raise an eyebrow. "Do you _really _believe that there are killer rednecks in the woods or you just feeling guilty for lying to your sister?" 

"What if Jessie's right, Rich?" Sadie questioned, her love for her sister overshadowing her doubt in the story, though Carly, Scott, Evan and Francine were all dead after all. However, she had been lied to before, but she wanted desperately to believe her sister. 

"And what if she's wrong? Well...not wrong but just confused. You know, people that suffer traumatic experiences are often so shocked that they can't rightly remembered what happened to them." Richard pointed out, pulling Sadie closer to him as he continued to speak. "Forget about your sister for a weekend, forget about killer rednecks. After all, we're here together for a hopefully romantic camping trip..." He trailed off, gazing, he hoped, seductively into his girlfriend's eyes. 

Sadie knew exactly where he was going, though he hadn't finished his sentence: a romantic trip if you don't keep bringing up your sister and murderous rednecks. She knew that he still didn't believe her and probably never would, despite the corpses buried in the graveyard, but she still let him kiss her, let him believe that he had won for the time being. It took far less energy then it would have to keep up the argument. "Okay, I'll try." Sadie relented with a smile when the kiss was broken. She turned away from him and back toward the path that headed down toward the lake, still interested in finding out if Virginia was all right. 

Richard started to protest as Sadie started forward, but was cut off when his girlfriend stumbled over something and tumbled to the ground. "Sadie, are you all right?" He questioned, not bothering to move forward for he didn't want to fall as well. Who knew what Sadie had tripped over. 

Sadie frowned as she lifted her head, looking for the flashlight which had rolled out of her grip; her palms burned from where she had used them to brace her fall and she was certain that her left hand had been cut by a rock. She stopped the flashlight and stretched out her hand to grab for it, curious to see what she had stumbled over, for it didn't feel like a rock or a root. 

Sadie let out a stunned scream when she saw what she had tripped over; the beam from the flashlight had played over the still bleeding corpse of Virginia Corman, who was sprawled out across the path were she had undoubtedly fallen while fleeing her murderer. She screamed again, this time in fear and disgust, jumping to her feet and nearly dropping her flashlight once more. 

By this time, Richard had turned around to see what his girlfriend had been screaming at and caught sight of his sister's murdered body as the light bounced over it. He stood for a moment, too stunned to react, staring at the corpse in disbelief; his sister had been murdered, he was staring at her body, yet it didn't seem true. The second time Sadie screamed, the situation became very realistic, for he could see the still bleeding wound in the back of Virginia's neck, jagged and crude. 

"Sadie..." Richard trailed off, unsure of what to say next. He wanted to ask if she was all right again, though that questioned seemed stupid because she wasn't the one, after all, laying murdered in the dirt. 

Trying to get control of herself long enough to figure out what to do next, Sadie swallowed down the bile that was rising in her throat and took a step forward, only to stumble back when something whizzed past her face, grazing her forehead, and embedding itself in a nearby tree. Surprised, she touched her fingers to her forehead, shocked when they came back bloody and turned to look in the direction that object had flown from. Standing, partially obscured by leafy bushes, was a disfigured, bulky man notching an arrow into the curved bow he held in his overly large, knotted hands. Sadie screamed Richard's name before the archer let lose another arrow, warning him about the monstrous man; she stepped over Virginia's body before grabbing her boyfriend's arm and dragging back down the path, hearing the sound of the arrow hitting a tree behind her. "Run!" She commanded when her boyfriend still stumbled along. It was only a matter of time before the archer fired another arrow. 

"Sadie what's going on?" Richard questioned as he followed his girlfriend back toward their campsite, sounding frightened and confused. 

Sadie didn't think she had the breath to answer, so she continued to run, heart beginning to speed up when she heard the brush crashing behind her, signaling that they were being pursued. _Jessie was right all along _she thought, stumbling over the gnarled brush at her feet. 

Up ahead, they could see the light from a tiny fire that Kyle and Ramsey had succeeded in lighting and the couple rummaging through the cooler they had packed. "Get into the car!" Sadie shouted to the couple as she and Richard got nearer to their campsite. 

Ramsey and Kyle turned in her direction when she shouted, looking rather confused; that look didn't last for long when they saw Richard and Sadie's attacker, looking even more disfigured and villainous in the flickering firelight. Ramsey leapt to her feet and yanked the keys to the SUV from her pocket, fumbling for the right one as she stood before the car. 

The disfigured archer paused as he watched his prey scrambled into the backseat of the SUV, which was the first door Ramsey had managed to get unlocked. He pulled another crudely formed arrow from the quiver upon his back, fashioned from the skin of one of his former victims, and notched it into his bow. He watched as Sadie pulled the door shut behind her and slammed her palm down on the lock, as though a simple lock and door could keep him out; for a moment, he aimed his arrow at the window, simply to see the look of fear on the brunette's face, before firing at the bottom right tire, which popped instantly. Before turning to head back into the woods to find his other two family members, he fired an arrow into the tire on the passenger side of the car, grinning awkwardly at the screams that came from inside the car. 

Sadie waited fifteen minutes after the tires had been popped before peering out of the window, afraid of what she might see; however, she saw nothing but their empty campsite, no sign of the disfigured man that had been shooting at them. "I think he's gone." She mumbled as she dropped back from the window, sliding back onto the floor where the other three were huddled together. They had all entered the car in a jumble, eager to get away from the man before they ended up like Virginia, and they were still tangled together on the cramped floor of the SUV. 

"Man?" Ramsey echoed, clinging to her boyfriend. "Didn't look like a man to me." 

Sadie had to agree, but didn't want to waste any time verbally saying so. "It popped out tires, we can't leave." She pointed out, a fact that everyone else all ready knew. 

"We're gonna die, just like Virginia." Richard moaned, running his hands through his hair as he thought about his slain twin sister. 

"We are _not _going to die." Sadie said forcefully, leaning over Ramsey and Kyle and fishing around in the front seat, finally pulling out her cell phone with its brightly colored butterfly cover. 

Ramsey's face brightened when she noticed what the brunette had recovered. "We have a cell phone! We can call the police to come rescue us!" She trilled happily, feeling suddenly very relieved. She wasn't going to die after all, she was going to live to be crowned the queen of her senior prom. 

"I'm going to call my sister." Sadie mumbled, knowing that her decision wasn't going to be widely accepted. She started dialing Jessie's apartment number. 

Kyle nearly jerked the cell phone from her hand as he heard her words. "Your sister!" He exclaimed, causing Sadie to cringe slightly. "We're being chased by fucking murderous maniacs and you're calling your goddamn sister?!" 

Sadie pressed the phone against her ear as it started ringing. "I don't have a lot of battery left, not enough to make the police believe us. Jessie's been through this, she'll know exactly what I'm talking about. She can help us." She explained, hoping that what she was right. It sounded like the man had come back. 

* * * 

Jessie was standing in the kitchen, watching Chris unwrap the takeout sushi they had ordered from the Japanese restaurant down the street; she didn't generally like seafood but Chris had gotten her to like some kinds. Chris had been telling her about a lady who had come into the doctor's office that morning, thinking that she was ill but when it turned out she hadn't been, she had refused to pay a fee. "She said that since we hadn't really done anything, she shouldn't have to pay." He explained, setting some California rolls upon a paper plate for Jessie. 

The brunette laughed, mostly for his benefit, and rolled her eyes. "My day wasn't that exciting." She told him, leaning against the counter, though she had already mentioned her boredom once before. 

Setting aside some squid and California rolls for himself, Chris turned to face the brunette with a boyish grin. "Well, Miss Burlingame, your evening will hopefully be a lot more interesting." He said in the seductive way that always managed to get her. He went to wrap his arms around her but Jessie stepped aside with a grin. 

"Don't touch me, you have fishy hands." She commanded with a laugh, giggling even more when he continued after her. Chris had finally managed to corner her into the cabinet in front of the sink, tickling her with a grin on his face, when the phone rang, causing them both to look toward the living room. 

"We don't have to answer it." Chris muttered as he kissed Jessie gently. She looked at him for a moment wistfully before stepping away from him in headed toward the phone cradle; she didn't know why, but something inside of her told her that she needed to answer the phone. Perhaps it was someone from one of the many companies she had applied to work for. 

Jessie picked up the phone and clicked it on, though she wasn't even able to finish saying 'hello' before the person on the other end of the line started talking. "Jessie, it's Sadie; this is an emergency. I lied to you, I went camping in the woods and some_thing _out there is chasing us. He...it killed Richard's sister and popped our tires so we can't leave and-" The panicked voice of her little sister was cut off by the sound of glass shattering and someone else screaming. "They're back, Jessie you have to help us! They're going to kill us! Please, we're just off Bear Mountain Road. Jessie-" The line suddenly went dead, leaving Jessie staring at it in disbelief. Phones didn't simply just die unless there was something wrong; had Sadie been-

Chris interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Jess, what's the matter?" He had a concerned look upon his face as he exited the kitchen and headed toward her.

All of the sudden, Jessie felt a wave of fear cross over her and she suddenly felt panicked; her little sister was in trouble, in the clutches of the same 'people' that had murdered her best friends. "Sadie she... she went camping and they found her. Those things that killed Carly and Scott." She looked at Chris with anxiety upon her face. "Oh Chris, they're going to kill her...we have to..." She trailed off, knowing that she had to save Sadie but worried that they couldn't make it in time. 

Chris wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him; this time Jessie didn't resist and let herself be comforted by him, just as she had all those nights she had woken with nightmares. This time, the nightmare was real. 


	10. Into the Woods

Wow, glad to see that everyone is liking this story! Who knew? Just a little note before continuing on with this story, let's work on getting "Wrong Turn" it's own category on fanfiction! Please review

Chapter Ten

Into the Woods 

Sadie stared down at the cell phone in her hand with disbelief, eyes growing wide as the disbelief turned into horror. Kyle, who had been huddling behind the driver's seat with his arms wrapped tightly around Ramsey, noted her shock and shouted, "What happened!" There was no help coming, that he knew. 

Before Sadie could answer, the window behind her head shattered, causing her to scream in surprise and jumping away before the three-fingered hand that slipped through the hole could grab at her head. "My batteries just died!" She cried, screaming against as a deformed head poked through the window, a leering smile upon its twisted lips. She threw the now useless phone at the man, who looked more like a monster, feeling very little satisfaction when her cell struck it in the face. 

"Is your sister coming?" Cried Ramsey as she dared a glance past her boyfriend's shoulder, toward the front of the car. She didn't like what she saw: the windshield was broken away, as was the glass on the passenger side of the SUV, and one of the deformed monsters was slowly crawling up the hood of the car with a crude knife in his hand. "They're coming in!" 

Sadie looked to where Ramsey's eyes were still locked and watched, unmoving, for a moment while the skinniest of their attackers climbed into the cab. "Run, out of the car, into the woods, I'll try and hold them off 'til you get out." She whispered to her friends. Richard turned to face her, looking as though he believed she had just gone crazy. 

"There are three of them and you can't hold them off by yourself. They'll kill you!" Richard pointed out, not wanting to lose his girlfriend as well as his sister. 

Sadie paid no attention to his shouts, however, as she reached behind her and pulled her suitcase out of the cargo hold and opened it up. "Just run." She commanded, voice low, as she threw a pair of jeans in the man's face. 

Ramsey needed no more urging; she leapt forward, shoved Richard out of the way and threw the door open, bolting from the car. Kyle rushed out after her, followed by Richard at his heels, the trio taking off toward the woods. The skinny deformed man didn't even seem to notice that there was now only one person in the SUV as he continued to advance toward Sadie, shaking his knives at her with a threatening laugh. With a scream of fear and rage, Sadie threw the entire duffel bag in his face and bolted from the car, taking off in the direction her friends had taken only seconds earlier. The disfigured man gave a surprised cry as the bag hit him in the face, spewing out its contents, one shirt getting tangled in his face. By the time he managed to free himself, he saw that the vehicle was empty and that the rest of his family seemed at a loss of where they had gone. The campsite was empty and the woods were silent. 

* * * 

Without another word to Chris, Jessie snatched the car keys off the table beside the door, clutching them tightly as she turned to face her boyfriend. "I have to go. I want you to stay here, so nothing happens to you." She told him, knowing that he would never agree for a second. 

"Are you crazy? Jessie, I am not letting you go back to those woods all alone." Chris commanded, walking across the living room and joining his girlfriend at the door. "If you're going, then I'm sure as hell going too." He said forcefully, locking eyes with the brunette. 

Jessie wanted to protest but saw that there was something in Chris' eyes, concern and love for her; he didn't want anything to happen to her either but he wasn't going to stop her from going to rescue her sister. She loved him for that. She only nodded as she pulled the apartment door open, heading out into the hallway; Chris followed, pulling the door shut behind him, neither of them bothering to shut the lights off. 

* * * 

Sadie finally stopped running when she could no longer see any hint of their campsite; she was in the woods, in the dark, alone. She wanted to call out for Richard and the others but didn't dare, too afraid that she was being followed and that her voice would give away just where she was. Sadie would have to continue toward safety alone, and hope that her friends would make it too. 

* * * 

Around midnight Jessie finally let Chris pull her away from the driver's seat and take the wheel for a while, letting her have the chance to rest even though she was too worried and afraid to do such a thing. Instead, she watched the ever glowing orange road lamps whiz past her window, a blur due to the speed in which Chris was driving; time meant everything now, both of them knew that. If they didn't get there in time, Sadie would be dead...if she wasn't already. 

* * * 

Ramsey frowned impatiently at the fact that Richard had stopped, despite her lack of breath and pounding heart; she could catch her breath later, as long as she lived. Stopping while those maniacs were still out there was not a good why to stay alive. "Why are we stopping? Sadie's dead, we can't wait around for her." She pointed out, knowing that it wasn't what Richard wanted to hear. 

"Sadie is not dead." Richard hissed, turning away to face the blonde. "We have to wait for her, to protect her when those things come back." He hoped that his words were true, though he strongly doubted them. 

Kyle frowned as well. "Those _things _will come back quicker and find us if we wait around." He placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, expression softening. "Look, man, I'm sorry but Ramsey's right. Sadie's dead and we'll be dead too if we don't keep moving." 

Richard didn't want to admit it, but he knew they were right, on both accounts. They had to move or die, that was the way it was now. 

* * * 

The sun was just beginning to decide to rise when Jessie and Chris reached the back country of the West Virginia woods, where Jessie and her friends had decided to go camping those months ago and Chris had taken his detour. Nothing had at all changed, not even the small sign proclaiming that they had reached Bear Mountain Road. With a grim look, Chris headed down Bear Mountain Road, into the heart of the woods. 


	11. Wreckage

I know I start off every author's note with how wonderful all my reviewers are but it's really true. I had never expected that this story would be so popular yet I have at least three reviews for it every time I get online. Thanks so much! Make sure they don't stop. I'd also like to remind everyone that this story might be slightly shorter then some of the others I write because I'm planning a sequel to this one, that continues this story, so don't get too upset. Enjoy and review! 

Chapter Eleven 

Wreckage 

Jessie hadn't even realized she had drifted to sleep until she was woken by Chris gently shaking her shoulder and whispering her name. Instantly, she felt horrible for allowing herself to sleep when her little sister was possibly dead, and forced herself awake quickly, taking in the sights around her quickly. The car was still, sitting upon a dirt road to the left of a slope that lead down to a dirt field with ashes and debris and the shells of melted cars the only things visible. Jessie recognized this place instantly. 

"I didn't know where to go from here, since this was the only place that we knew of where they might have lived." Chris explained as he gazed past her and studied the house. He had caused the explosion that had burned the filthy, hellish cabin to the ground, yet he still felt eerily haunted by the way it looked. 

Jessie was silent for a moment, as though she didn't know how to respond; she had known that the disfigured hillbillies' cabin was no longer standing, yet a part of her expected to find her sister there. Yet, this place was nothing but a pile of ashes and charred beams, there was nothing here. "I don't know what to do." She mumbled, feeling herself crumple again, though that made her feel weak and useless. What good was she to Sadie if she couldn't even hold herself together? 

Chris ran his fingers along her cheek line gently, comfortingly. "We're going to find her, Jess and she's going to be fine." He assured her, wishing that he was as sure as he wanted to seem.

Jessie nodded silently, unable to think that there would be any other way that things would turn out. She locked eyes with him and managed a weak smile. "Where would I be without you?" She mumbled, to which Chris simply smiled. 

"Lost in the woods." He meant it to seem like a joke, but at that moment it didn't seem so funny. Chris didn't like the look he saw in his girlfriend's eyes, the fear, the desperation, the helplessness. "I love you Jessie. And we will find her." This time, he sounded sure. 

* * * 

Sadie felt as though she had been walking for years by the time the sun had fully risen in beyond the trees. It was easier for her to see now, just where she was running, though she still didn't have a clue just _where _she was going but at least she wasn't tripping over logs and falling into thorn bushes. She believed that she looked much like a Middle Eastern refugee with her torn clothes and scratched face, arms and legs but at least she was alive. Sadie only hoped that Richard and the others were alive as well. 

She had no idea where she was going or what she was going to do when she got there; if Jessie had indeed got her message and was coming to rescue her then how would they find each other? Could she even stay alive until then? 

_Of course you will, _Sadie reminded herself sharply and firmly. She would keep walking until she found the others, or she found herself, or she found a town and someone with a phone. 

Or she found the killer mountain men. 

* * * 

The cracked brush made it easy for them to track their foolish prey, yet that didn't take away from the thrill of the hunt. Every once in a while, they could get close enough to hear the three teenagers passing, their heavy feet breaking stones and the girl constantly whining. Whenever they got too close, they sometimes slowed their pace, never making a sound, trying to savor the moment. The small of the first girl's fallen blood was still fresh in their noses and minds, but that didn't over power the fun that came from a long chase, from their fear. 

Yet, nothing would be as good as the kill. 

* * * 

Jessie and Chris abandoned their car where the dirt road seemed to disappear all together, where the disfigured monsters had once lived and headed into the woods, heading straight since the foliage ahead seemed to be broken and the tire marks in the mud looked almost recent. Jessie hoped that Sadie and her camping group had headed in this direction to find a camping spot and that would give them a place to start searching. 

For the first few minutes, they walked in silence, with Jessie staring at her feet as she walked, lost in thought. Chris scanned the woods, looking for any sign that someone had been by recently; the ground was hard, so there were no tire marks to go by. He was about to give up searching for the time being when he saw something glinting in the woods a few yards to his right. Chris squinted his eyes, though he was certain of what he was seeing: the top of a car, glinting in the sunlight. "Jess, look." He pointed toward the car. 

Jessie lifted her head and turned in the direction her boyfriend had indicated, her heart suddenly skipping a beat when she saw the car in the distance. "That's my dad's SUV." She mumbled, rushing through the foliage toward the car. She knew, in the back of her mind she knew that her sister wasn't going to be there and, if she was, she wasn't going to be alive. But that didn't stop Jessie from veering off the path and running threw the woods toward the campsite, leaving Chris behind, surprised. 

The campsite was littered with broken glass, metal and shredded fabric, making the area looked like a war zone. All of the windows in the car had been shattered, the tires popped and torn and the passenger side door wrenched off and tossed aside. Jessie stopped short as soon as she saw the wreckage spread out before her, her breath catching in her throat; it was much worse then anything she would have imagined, the sheer disastrous nature of the whole scene. 

Someone had destroyed everything that had once been whole and had even gone so far as to raid the inside of the SUV and empty all the suitcases into the dirt. Jessie was still standing on the edge, staring at the car when Chris arrived beside her, gently placing his hand upon her shoulder. They both knew who had wrecked the campsite. 

Jessie stepped closer to the car, noticing the arrows embedded in the tires and the slash marks on the seats; at least she didn't see any blood and there were no bodies. She noticed a cell phone lying outside the right of the car and bent to pick it up, brushing the dust off the numbers. The dirt uncovered a open-winged, brightly colored butterfly, her sister's favorite cell phone cover. 

Chris kept Jessie in the corner of his eye as he walked around the wrecked campsite, grimacing at the tattered tent, ripped sleeping bags and the dirt covered clothes tossed about the area. There were arrows embedded in the trees and in the ground, yet no sign of blood or struggle; it was as though the campsite had been abandoned when the inbred rednecks had ravaged it. 

"There's no one here." Chris mumbled, not as much to state the obvious as to get rid of the silence that hung over the area. He picked up a stuffed turtle with two missing legs and pursed his lips, wondering just how the turtle belonged to. 

Jessie turned to face Chris, still holding the cell phone tightly in her hand, as though it was proof that her sister was still alive. Her eyes fell to the object that her boyfriend was holding in his hand. "That's Sadie's turtle." She whispered, walking over to him and taking the stuffed animal from him. It was almost as though, up until that moment, she hadn't yet believed that her sister was in danger, that it might all be just a nightmare. But now, she was holding her sister's cell phone and her stuffed turtle, in the middle of the woods, with the disfigured lunatics still killing. 

The woods were silent as Chris and Jessie stood in the middle of the trashed campsite, among the wreckage of things that had once been whole and normal; Jessie finally sighed and dropped her sister's things, not even bothering to glance down to see where they had fallen. "We have to find them, before those killers do." She mumbled, glancing out into the woods, wondering just where to start looking. They could be anywhere...they could be dead. 

Chris nodded, glancing down at the objects Jessie had dropped so carelessly. "Those are your sister's things?" He questioned, wondering why his girlfriend had suddenly acted so uncharacteristically. Even when they were lost in the woods those months before, Jessie had remained stable and in control of herself, yet now she didn't even look as though she could stand on her own two feet. 

Jessie nodded. "My sister loves butterflies, that's her favorite cell phone cover. Butterfly is her family nickname." She looked up at Chris with tears brimming in her eyes. "Oh Chris, I don't know what to do anymore...the woods are so big and they could be anywhere." She buried her face in her hands as tears began to snake down her cheeks. 

Chris pulled her into his arms and held her tightly against his chest, stroking her hair gently. "It'll be okay, Jessie." He whispered soothingly. "We'll find Sadie and the others." 

"And if we don't, it'll be my fault." Jessie whispered, almost inaudibly, her face still pressed against Chris' chest. "It's my fault in the first place, if I had told her the truth in the first place then she would have never agreed to go camping. It would have been easy for her to say no." 

Chris didn't know just what to say to her words; Jessie was suffering from guilt and there was no way to simply console that away. They would have to find Sadie, otherwise Jessie's guilt, over both her sister and the death of her friends, would continue to eat her alive. Almost as deadly as the murderous mountain men. 


	12. The Hunt

Chapter Twelve 

The Hunt 

Chris and Jessie soon left the campsite, eager to begin their search before it grew dark; Chris was beginning to wish that they had thought to bring a flashlight, food and drink...anything more then what they had. What they had was nothing, not even a weapon to defend themselves with in case they found the mountain men before they found Sadie and the others. 

It was only ten in the morning, yet Jessie felt as though she had been walking in the woods for more then just an hour and felt a strange sense of _deja vu _that only grew worse with every step she took. She had walked through these woods before, searching for something, for an escape, constantly feeling the need to look over her shoulder. Though she had escaped once before did nothing to ease Jessie's mind or make the journey any easier; last time was last time. 

* * * 

Ramsey realized that she couldn't walk anymore, there just wasn't any energy left inside of her to continue. Her feet were bleeding from the split blisters and her skin was scratched and bruised from running through the woods in the dark and she was thirsty and hungry, not having eaten anything since lunch the previous day. They had been planning to roast hot dogs for dinner when the disfigured men had showed up. 

To prove that she could no longer continue, Ramsey sighed and dropped to her feet so abruptly that Richard almost tripped over her. "I can't go any farther." She whimpered, trying not to glance down at her bloody feet, much worse for wear since the sandals she had insisted on wearing hadn't done much to protect them. 

Kyle frowned when he heard her words, turning to face her. "Ramsey, we have to keep moving." He mumbled, though he didn't have the energy to really fight with her. If she wanted to sit on her ass and wait for those men to find her, then she was more then welcome to. 

"Why? The only thing that's ahead of us is more woods. We're not going to find anyone to help us." Ramsey pointed out, feeling suddenly close to tears. The situation was hopeless, she was going to die in these woods, away from her family and any sort of civilization. 

Richard sat down a few feet from where the blonde was slumped, knowing that everything she said was true; his sister was dead, his girlfriend was most likely dead and there didn't appear to be anyone around for miles. No one except the people chasing them. "She's right, what's the point?" He mumbled, causing his friend to look over at him. 

"What is the matter with you guys?" Kyle snapped, enraged. "This is our lives we're talking about...our _lives_! If we don't move we're going to die! And I don't know about you guys, but I sure as hell don't want to die." 

As Kyle spoke, an arrow whistled overhead and buried itself in his chest so suddenly that it looked as though it had materialized. Kyle's mouth dropped open in shock as he looked down at his chest before his knees buckled and he dropped to the ground, his forehead landing on Ramsey's feet. Her shock induced stupor suddenly broken, Ramsey screamed and leapt to her feet, whirling around in the direction the arrow had flown from to see the bulky man from the night before holding a bow out in front of him, a smile upon his face. She screamed again and ran in the direction they had been heading, stepping over Kyle's motionless body without even glancing at it. Richard stared at his friend's corpse for a moment longer before scrambling to his feet and following Ramsey into the woods, feeling close to vomiting as he ran. 

Ramsey finally stopped running and leaned against the back of a tree, turning to face Richard with tears coursing down her cheeks. "Did that really just happen?" She cried. "Is Kyle dead?" 

Richard could do nothing but nod, silently, the urge to vomit even stranger now that he had acknowledged the fact that another one his friends had become a corpse. He wished he had listened to Sadie in the first place. 

* * * 

Sadie froze in her tracks when she heard the brush shaking and cracking off to her left; her breath caught in her throat and she slowly turned in that direction, though she really didn't want to see what was in the woods. Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw the pale, skinny man with the inane laugh emerge from the foliage, a fixed grin upon his face; he seemed pleased about something, and Sadie saw what when the two other deformed men came into her field of view. 

The largest of the men was dragging something across the ground, his bulging back bent with the effort, while the other followed close. Against her better judgment, Sadie took a slow step forward to get a better look at what they were dragging and wished she hadn't when she saw Kyle bumping along the ground, a bloody arrow protruding from his chest. She clamped her hands over her mouth to keep from screaming and stumbling backward, leaning against a tree as she felt her knees go weak. Kyle had been killed and there was no way of knowing if Richard and Ramsey were dead as well. 

Sadie squeezed her eyes shut tightly and prayed that her boyfriend was still alive, that he had somehow escaped the killers when they had murderer Kyle. She could hear the deformed men grunting to each other, seemingly still at the moment, and the skinny one breaking in with laughter every so often. It didn't sound to her like they were using a real language, but she was beginning to doubt that they were even "real" people; people weren't supposed to murder their fellow human beings in cold blood and laugh hysterically while doing so. 

The sound of the brush shaking once more caused Sadie to open her eyes to see where the men were heading. Thankfully, they were moving straight ahead, dragging the corpse behind them, not even glancing around as they walked, going past her in their pursuit to get wherever they were going. She walked until they had vanished before standing up again and heading the opposite way they had gone, still praying to find safety and help. 

* * * 

The day seemed much shorter at the woods and to Jessie, the sun was setting before the day had even truly begun. The pines slit the setting sun light, casting shadows upon the ground even though it wasn't yet dark. She and Chris had been searching for Sadie all afternoon and hadn't turned up any sign of anyone...or anything for that matter. It was going to be completely dark soon, a fact that was causing Jessie to slowly give up hope of ever finding her sister. They were far from their car, far from anywhere, in the middle of the woods, without a map, technically lost with miles of woods on either side of them. 

Though she dreaded to admit it, Jessie knew that it was incredibly hopeless. 


	13. A Way Out

Chapter Thirteen 

The Rescue 

Sadie sighed as she stopped in her tracks, glancing around her, trying to get her bearings in the dark, which was impossible. It had only been dark for thirty minutes, yet it seemed as though she had been wondering blindly for hours; the trees were so thick around her that the slice of moonlight did little penetrate the canopy. There was no way of knowing where she was going, or even if she was heading straight and hadn't somehow gotten herself turned around and was going back the way she had come, back toward the disfigured hillbillies. With another, more desperate sigh, Sadie dropped to her knees and leaned against the trunk of a pine tree; if she wasn't so afraid, she figured that would be able to sleep, but that didn't seem like an option. 

If she had a flashlight, then she could continue onward, trying to find shelter and her friends. But there was no flashlight, no moonlight and seemingly no hope. Sadie closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the trunk, wishing that everything would simply disappear for a couple of hours. 

* * * 

Chris wished that he had thought to plan ahead, thought to bring a flashlight, a gun, some food or even water, but he and Jessie had been in such a rush to get out of the apartment that he could think of nothing more then getting to the woods. It was dark and he and Jessie were lost in the woods, more so then they had been the first time they were trying to escape the Mountain Men. Jessie had long since lapsed into silence, stumbling along wordless, lost in her own thoughts; she was feeling terrible for having dragged Chris along into the woods and felt helpless to save her sister. 

Yet, despite all of these things, Jessie couldn't stop walking, as though the farther she walked the closer she got to finding Sadie.

* * * 

Ramsey glanced over at Richard, amazed that he was able to actually shut his eyes and not see Kyle being murdered and those monstrous guys that had killed him; he was, however, able to do so because there he was, leaning against a tree with his knees drawn up to his chin and his eyes shut, apparently sleeping. She had finally giving up running, unable to continue on without stopping for a break, but she was not even close to being able to sleep, or even shut her eyes. Ramsey was tired and she somehow knew that resting for twenty minutes wasn't going to cure her exhaustion. She just couldn't run anymore and she found that she didn't even care anymore whether those hillbillies caught her or not. 

Ramsey looked past Richard and stared into the woods, looking for signs of the mountain men that were chasing them; she knew they were out there, somewhere, just waiting until the perfect moment to finish them off. Kill them like they had killed Virginia and Sadie and her beloved Kyle. The woods were still, yet she knew it was just a façade, she could practically feel them breathing down her neck. 

"I can't take it anymore!" Ramsey yelped suddenly, leaping to her feet and startling Richard, who no longer looked sleepy. "They're out there, watching us, just waiting to kill us. It's a game for them!" 

Richard studied her strangely, as though he couldn't even make sense of what she was saying. "Ramsey, if they really _are _out there, then you just gave us away." He snapped, wishing that she would cease her yelling. They had finally found a place to hide for the night, but now their hiding spot was no longer secret. 

Ramsey whirled to face him, fear and desperation flashing across her face. "I don't care! They're going to find us anyway and I'll be damned if I'm going to wait for death." She had been pushed too far, something inside of her had snapped. She was no longer the perfectly primped homecoming queen who shopped bargain but told everyone her clothes were designer; she was no longer the Ramsey that gossiped about other girls in the bathroom. She was now the girl that understood desperate measures and what made people take them; she was now the Ramsey that took desperate measures. 

Richard was about to ask her just what she meant when he saw her unbuckle her belt and begin unthreading it. "Ramsey, what the hell are you doing?" He snapped, jumping to his feet and heading toward her. He reached for the belt, which she was concentrating on looping. 

"Get away from me." She snapped, jerking herself out of his reach. She was no longer the girl she used to be, she was nothing like the old Ramsey any longer, that much was clear to Richard as he stepped back, stunned. "I'm going to die either way, I am not going to get chopped into a whole bunch of pieces!" 

It was obvious what Ramsey was planning on doing, yet Richard was too mentally and physically exhausted to really process what was going on. Ramey wrapped her powder blue Limited Too (though she told the cheerleading squad she had got it from American Eagle) around her neck and pulled it as tightly as she could. Without a finally glance at Richard, who was watching the whole scene unfold with a detached fasination, she scampered toward the nearest tree and attempt to try and scale the thick oak. She had often heard that most people have suicide a second thought before leaping off the building or pulling the trigger but to Ramsey, suicide seemed like the best option at the moment. The one thing she was giving a second thought was whether or not her cheap belt would held her weight when she jumped. 

She had been so driven to end the hunt for those murderous rednecks that Ramey hadn't really figured out how she was going to secure the belt to the branch before leaping. It didn't matter anymore, as long as it held and got the job done... Richard seemed almost interested in what was going on, watching as though only a man who had lost his sister and girlfriend could. 

Ramsey attempted to secure the reminder of the belt around the first tree branch she could reach, glancing out into the woods once more, as though testing her theory that the disfigured bastards were out there, watching her. She nearly screamed when she saw the skinny, pinkish man grinning wolfish at her from the thick brush. Ramsey slipped when she saw the redneck raise his twisted arm, a jagged knife held tightly in his fist; she fell from the tree, hearing the belt begin to unravel itself from the branch. For a moment, she was glad that the belt hadn't held, because she did, after all, have a chance to escape from her redneck pressures. 

The _thock _that the knife made as it embedded into the trunk of the tree, penning the end of the belt in place, was so unmistakeable that even Ramsey knew just what it was. She didn't have time to think about what that sound meant, for the belt was suddenly without slack, and her fall was ceased. The belt tightened around her neck, the metal biting into her skin as she gagged, clawing at the fabric and praying that it gave lose; she gazed upward to see that the knife had gone through the belt and penned it deep into the trunk. The only way Ramsey would be able to free herself was to undo the knife, yet she couldn't even reach up far enough; she was beginning to become short for breath, feeling as though her windpipe was being crushed. She struggled to scream but could do no such thing, she couldn't even breathe; the vessels in her eyes popped, blinding her as she continued to choke and gag. 

Richard tried to grab for her, pull her down or somehow free her, but he couldn't get a good enough hold upon her legs, for she was trashing too much. Finally, Ramsey stopped jerking and hung limply and Richard backed away, staring up at her wide-eyed. Her face was red, eyes clotted with blood, eyes glazed and sightless, a hanging corpse. The knife holding the belt in place had no doubt come from one of their sadistic stalkers, which meant only one thing that they were being watched, being stalked. Being hunted. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, finally some more reviews, and they are wonderful; good to know that it's addicting. This story is almost done, but there is a planned sequel, so the more reviews, the more chapters the closer it comes to the final chapter of the _Wrong Turn _"series". So, please review, good or bad...much love. 


	14. The Rescue

Much love to all my reviewers, how fantastic you all are. 

Chapter Fourteen 

The Rescue 

Sadie didn't even realize that she had fallen asleep until she suddenly snapped awake, roused by the sound of brush snapping and footfalls against the dried leaves. Her body tensed, full of fear and she hated herself for allowing herself to sleep when she was being chased; now she had no where to run, no where to hide since the only thing around were trees and they would hear her if she moved. She was going to get murdered all because she couldn't stay on her feet any longer. 

Sadie squinted her eyes shut as tightly as she could, trying to press herself against the trunk as though she could somehow save herself that way. But she knew that her luck had finally run out and there was no escape this time. The footfalls continued to get louder, closer and she suddenly found that she could no longer breathe, it was as though she couldn't even remember how to open her mouth and inhale. Sadie realized that she had never been more afraid in her entire life. 

* * * 

Jessie and Chris had long since given up trying to be silent as they traipsed through the woods, not bothering to watch where they stepped or listen to the other sounds around them. That was how they almost missed Sadie, who was desperately trying to be silent though she was breathing quite noisily, pressed against a tree almost an inch away from where they walked. Jessie was so busy staring directly in front of her that she didn't even notice the shaking form of her sister as she passed by; Chris, however, noticed the girl out of the corner of his eye and turned around quickly. 

"Wait." He muttered, holding out his hand and causing her girlfriend to stop suddenly and glance his way. She opened her mouth to question what had stopped him when her eyes traveled past her boyfriend's face toward what had caused him to stop in the first place. 

It was almost too good to be true and Jessie thought for a moment that she was dreaming, that she had wanted to see her sister alive so badly that she was now imagining it. Yet, it seemed as though Sadie was sitting only feet in front of her, huddled up against the base of a tree, quivering slightly. Jessie managed to force out her sister's name and only when the girl looked up did the scene seemed completely real. 

Sadie glanced up, surprised to have heard her name called and became even more surprised when she saw her older sister standing only a few feet in front of her. For a moment, she couldn't move, could do nothing but lock eyes with the brunette, who was motionless as well. The spell of the sudden discovery was broken when Sadie leapt to her feet, throwing her arms around her sister's shoulders and hugging her tightly, burying her face against Jessie's chest. Jessie returned the embrace even more tightly, as though she still didn't believe that her sister was anything more then a foggy apparition. "Jessie," Sadie mumbled, words swallowed by the fabric of her sister's shirt, "I knew you would come." 

Jessie broke the embrace and studied the youngest Burlingame, taking note of the scratches and bruises that ran along her face and arms. "Chris and I have been looking for you ever since you called. Sadie, I was so worried about you." She confessed, glad that the damage that seemed to have befallen the girl was no worse then a couple of bumps. 

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you about going to the woods." Sadie mumbled, tears filling her eyes at the words. If only she had listened to her sister and refused to go on the trip, then maybe everyone else would still be alive; but she hadn't listened and now she, Jessie and Chris were still in danger. 

Tucking Sadie's hair behind her shoulders in a sisterly gesture, Jessie said, "Right now, that's not important, it's important that you're safe." She wanted to say something more lecture-like but figured that now wasn't the time. After they were home and safe and had had a bath and something to eat, then she'd give her sister hell for taking the trip. "Where's everyone else?" 

Sadie's expression darkened at her sister's words and she cast her gaze downward. "They're dead, I think. At least, Richard's sister is dead and so is Richard's best friend. I'm sure Richard and Ramsey are dead too." She muttered, wishing that she wasn't speaking the truth. She didn't want to think that her boyfriend was dead, the person she had been so happy with, who always made her laugh, who was now dead or close to it. 

As Jessie thought about just what to say to her sister, perhaps something comforting, Chris stepped closer and said, "I hate to break up the reunion, but we're a long way from the car." He was more then glad they had found Sadie, but the murderous hillbillies were still out there somewhere and if they didn't retreat from the foods soon, they might never get out. 

Sadie glanced over at her sister's boyfriend and managed a slight smile. "Thanks for coming, Chris." She said sincerely. Chris had come along for Jessie, which just proved how much he really cared about her. 

Jessie smiled warmly at her boyfriend, who returned the gesture, before saying, "I'm all for leaving this place and moving to somewhere that has no a single tree but I've gotta so turned around that I have no idea what direction the car is in." She turned to Chris. "Any suggestions?" 

Chris glanced around him, as though he could somehow see the right path in the dark; they were so deep into the woods, however, that there were no cleared paths, so any direction might be the way they came. "Well, these woods have to let out somewhere. We might as well keep heading straight." He ruled. 

Since there was no better option then to follow Chris' suggestion, Jessie and Sadie trailed after him, walking close together, not willing to be separated once again. 


	15. Slipping

So, this is the last chapter, very sad, but fear not because there is a sequel already in the works. The more reviews I get for this final chapter, the quicker the sequel will be posted. Hope everyone has enjoyed this story, it's been fun. 

Chapter Fourteen 

Slipping Farther

As far as Richard knew, the three disfigured men were out there, watching him, waiting for him to make a move so that they could kill him, just like they killed everyone else. A part of him was experiencing what had driven Ramsey to the branch of the oak tree, but the still sane part of him forced himself to remind under the cover of the brush until his watchers got tired of this game and vanished off once more into the woods. Though he was terrified, lost and alone, Richard figured that he could remain where he was sitting until that happened, just as long as he didn't stare at the swaying corpse that had once been Ramsey. 

He wondered whether or not they were still out there after all and began to realize that this was the part about being stalked that drove people to insanity, the constant wonder of being watched, of whether or not the attackers were really hiding around the corner or had given up long before. 

Richard figured that if he wasn't too afraid, he would stick his head up and take a long. However, he'd rather not end up with an arrow through his forehead. 

* * * 

As they headed through the woods, Sadie recounted the events that had taken place after she and Richard had found Virginia murdered on the trail. She explained how she had been separated from her friends and how she had seen the mountain men dragging along Kyle's corpse, which was why she had reason to believe that everyone else was dead. Chris tried to offer words of comfort to the youngest Burlingame, though he found the words coming out halfhearted; what Sadie was saying was probably true, her friends probably were dead. He had, after all, seen the carnage that the inbred rednecks could leave behind and it wouldn't do anyone any good to pretend that Sadie wasn't the only one that had gotten away. Chris, however, didn't say anything aloud other then the forced comfort words, figuring that would be better motive to keep moving, before the men finally did catch up with them. 

* * * 

She, Jessie and Chris had been walking for twenty minutes before Sadie began hearing the sounds of motion coming from in front of them. Abruptly, they stopped moving, so they could listen to the noises better; a few yards ahead, the spidery miniature pine trees were shivering with movement, the shaking brush accompanied by almost inhuman grunts. The grunts were drowned out by a inane laugh, which made Jessie's skin crawl; she had never heard anything laugh like that after escaping the woods the first time. The sound was so devilish, so inhuman, containing complete lunacy. 

The mountain men were directly in front of them, not bothering to be silent as they hid in the shadows, their grunts the only sounds in the once silent woods. From where he stood, Chris couldn't see the men, but there was no doubt in his mind that the murderous inbreeds lay in front of them. "What do we do now?" Jessie whispered, taking his hand and squeezing tightly for comfort. 

"Turn around." Sadie mumbled, moving close to her sister. "Go back the way we came." She was shaking again, afraid of being caught, of being seen, of never getting out of the woods. 

Chris shook his head, not bothering to glance behind him to look at the girl. "They could hear us, we can't the chance." He didn't know what other chance they had, but he didn't want to risk stepping upon a stick and getting his head loped off. 

"So what do we do? Stand here forever? They could turn around and see us, or when it gets light again." Jessie remarked, voice tight with fear. "We can't stay here." 

Sadie gazed around, looking for a way out and knowing that she would find none; she thought that all her problems would be over when Jessie and Chris had found her, yet it seemed as though they were getting much worse. Jessie was right, they couldn't stay in their spots forever, yet Chris was right as well; it was dark and they couldn't be sure of their footing. Either way, it seemed as though they had lost. 

As she scanned the woods, her eyes lifted toward the tree tops and the jutting branches, some so low that she could reach up and grab them without even trying. Sadie suddenly jerked her head back in her sister's direction and whispered, "The trees. We could climb into the trees and hide there until they went away." 

Jessie glanced past her sister to the tree behind her, with its many low branches crocked and skewed, as though begging to be climbed. "That's it." She mumbled, seeing the safety in her sister's plan. They could hide in the trees as long as necessary, provided they could climb them without being noisy or being seen. 

Sadie crept the few feet toward the nearest tree as soundlessly as possible, grabbing the lowest branch and lifting herself off the ground and swinging herself onto the tree. Climbing the tree proved to be much easier then she had first thought and soon she was twenty feet from the ground, arms wrapped tightly around the thickest branch that she had decided to stay upon. 

Chris watched Jessie as she scaled the tree, assuring himself that she was safe before beginning to climb himself, already tired muscles burning with exhaustion and stress. He forced himself to continue climbing until he reached the branch just below Jessie's, sighing tiredly as she laid his cheek against the cool bark. 

Sadie scanned the woods beneath her, feeling slightly dizzy and nervous at being up so high; she had never liked height, yet here she was, perched in a tree. It was amazing what you could do when you were trying to save your life. She glanced to where the men were supposedly sitting and gripped the branch even tighter when she made out one of them, a large double-bladed axe sitting in his lap. Gazing past the men, she noticed something that made her heart stop; Richard was sitting beneath the protection of a leafy bush, only feet from Ramsey's corpse, which dangled from which appeared to be the trunk of a tree. 

"Oh my God." She whispered to her sister, who was directly below her. "I can see Richard, he's still alive." She felt tears of relief prickle her eyelids but quickly blinked the tears away as she watched her boyfriend. Sadie wished she could call out to them, but that was certainly give away their tall hiding spot. 

Jessie turned her head to look where her sister had indicated and saw that the mountain men were clearly stalking Richard, waiting for an opportune time to kill him. She hoped that they never got it. 

* * * 

In the West Virginia woods, the night lasted much longer then it did in the outside world; the thick canopy of trees held in the darkness until the rays of the rising sun managed to penetrate the black. Richard watched the steady rise of the sun through the trees, not feeling at all assured by the growing light; in the daylight, his attackers would simply have a clearer shot at him. 

After staying awake all night, he had decided that it might better his chances of survival if he tried to slip away through the underbrush as silently as possible. Maybe he could get a good distance away from his disfigured stalkers before they even noticed he was gone. Richard stretched out his legs, which had been in the same position, and winced as his muscles began to unwind. He tried to make his legs as loose as possible, who knew when he'd be running again? 

* * * 

Jessie yawned as she shifted her position, though being careful not to fall from her treetop perch; she had moved off the end of the limb and was now leaning against the base of the tree, legs dangling below her. One branch above her, Sadie was apparently asleep, lying motionless with her cheek pressed against the bark, breathing slow and rhythmic. Jessie only hoped her sister didn't suffer a nightmare and jerk herself right off the branch she was straddling. 

Chris was awake as well, every so often whispering parts of conversation to her, though it was difficult for her to answer so that he could hear her and not catch the attention of the mountain men. "I'm really glad we found Sadie." He muttered, glancing up at the brunette with a smile upon his face. 

Jessie returned the smile, gazing into his eyes. "Me too. Thank you." She spoke sincerely, her smile fading slightly. 

"For what?" Chris questioned, cocking his head somewhat comically as he regarded his girlfriend. 

"For everything." Jessie answered as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "For coming with me, for making sure that I never stopped, for keeping me sane." If it weren't for Chris, she would have collapsed long ago, she would have never made it out of the woods all those months ago. She owed him her life and her sanity. 

Chris reached up and entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing gently. Jessie didn't know it, but she had saved him just as much as he had saved her. Perhaps he would tell her someday, just how much he owed her...when the setting was more romantic. 

Sadie jerked awake so suddenly that she startled both Jessie and Chris, almost losing her grip on the branch that she had her arms wrapped around. She looked around frantically, as though she couldn't remember where she was, before sighing deeply and glancing over to where her sister was sitting. Sadie opened her opened her mouth to speak to Jessie but her eyes drifted past her sister, toward something more important; the mountain men were finally moving, toward Richard, who was stretching his legs, completely unaware. 

"Richard." She whispered, wanting to shout his name but her throat was so dry that only a whisper escaped. Jessie turned her head in the direction that had captured her sister's attention and saw the man that had killed Scott notching an arrow into his bow. It was obvious to her that Sadie was going to try and warn Richard, but it was even more obvious that she was going to be too late. 

Sadie was attempting to fumble her way off her tree limb, preparing to scale down the tree in time to save Richard from being murdered. She glanced over to where her boyfriend was sitting and saw that the archer was taking aim at her boyfriend through the bushes that surrounded him. "Richard!" She screamed, nearly losing her footing on the branch. 

At the sound of Sadie's voice, Richard looked up, glancing in the direction the sound had come from with a confused look upon his face. He noticed, much to his amazement, his girlfriend, still alive, just as the burly archer released his arrow, which had been perfectly aimed to break through the foliage and catch him in the throat. Richard's eyes grew wide as his mouth dropped open, blood trickling down his lips as he fell to the ground, eyes open in shock, gazing sightlessly before him.

Sadie screamed when she saw the arrow slice into her boyfriend's throat, losing her balance on branch she was clinging to and falling from the tree. Jessie cried out her sister's name and tried desperately to grab for her, though she knew it was hopeless; she swung herself onto Chris' branch and began to descend from the tree as quickly as she could without falling herself. 

The other two mountain men had been altered to Sadie's presence by her screaming and had been trying to figure out where the sound had come from while Richard had been murdered. Upon seeing her fall from the tree, the three-fingered one wrapped his hands around the axe in his lap and got to his feet, heading toward where she had landed, his skinny brother laughing shrilly at the prospect of murder. 

Sadie lay motionless against the pine-needle covered ground, stunned from her fall, through which had suffered a broken arm and had ruptured a disk. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and saw first her sister and Chris quickly descending the tree to come to her aid. Groaning, she slowly rolled onto her stomach, though she wished she hadn't, for her back and arm cried out in pain; she glanced in front of her, heart catching in her throat. 

One of the disfigured men was heading toward her, axe hefted in his hands, bloodlust clear upon his face. "Help me." She mumbled, unable to raise her voice any higher, lifting her head in hopes of shouting for her sister's attention. "Jessie. Jessie, help me!" She cried as the man got closer. 

Upon hearing her sister's cry for help, Jessie looking over to where she had fallen and saw a sight that was much more like _deja vu _then anything else she had encountered in the past twenty-four hours. The bulky man was advancing toward her sister with his axe raised, and Sadie was completely defenseless, too stunned and bruised from her fall to even move. 

Jessie cried out in desperation as the man swung the axe, which connected with Sadie's neck and easily cleaved through the bone, muscle and gristle. "No!" Jessie cried, tears filling her eyes as she stared at her sister's headless corpse. 

She felt Chris' hand upon her shoulder but he offered little comfort; she was past the stage for comfort, the grief that had constricted her heart had suddenly turned to anger. These disfigured murderers had taken so much from her, it was time they suffered. Jessie leapt from the tree, not bothering to climb the last few feet, and landed beside her sister's corpse, almost losing her footing, though somehow remaining standing. She looked at the man that had murdered her sister and her best friend and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw the crocked smile upon his face. 

With a yell of primal rage, Jessie rushed toward the man, who saw her coming and easily knocked her aside. She collided with the trunk of a nearby tree and crumpled, sliding to the ground. The last thing she heard was Chris shouting her name, before everything went completely black. 

* * * 

When Jessie finally awoke, it was dusk and the woods were silent and empty once more. Despite the throbbing in her head and haziness of her vision, she struggled to her feet, gazing around her, searching for Chris. She was alone, however, with no sign of Chris or the mountain men. The pine needles that carpeted the ground with askew, showing signs of struggle, with several spots of congealed blood evident. Even her Sadie's corpse was gone. 

Jessie stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend what must have happened while she had been unconscious. The men had taken Chris, or perhaps even killed him, and she was all alone once more. 

__

To be continued... 


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